Regius Rose Anne Kenny
Rose Anne Kenny is the founding Principal Investigator of Ireland's largest adult population study on the experience of ageing in Ireland - The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), now in its 12th year of data collection.
Regius Kenny holds the Chair of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin. Previously Professor of Cardiovascular Research and Head of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, she is now director of a new state of the art clinical-research institute for ageing at St. James’s Hospital Dublin - Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA), with over 300 staff. Her research expertise in cardiovascular and mobility disorders of ageing has promoted the incorporation of traditional and novel tests of locomotion, autonomic function, and cardiovascular and cognitive health into TILDA coupled with traditional measures of health care utilisation and economics.
Regius Kenny has represented her field as Chair or member of international working groups for geriatrics, cardiology and neurology. Trinity College and St. James's have committed strong support to ageing research, education and training in ageing. In particular, the Trinity College 2011 Strategic Plan has highlighted Ageing Research as one of eight priorities for further strategic development and investment supporting the new Institute of Ageing on the hospital site, the proposed new Trinity Centre for Ageing Research (with Professor Kenny as Director) and the new Centre for Longitudinal Studies Analyses.
Since her appointment, Medical Gerontology has become the highest achieving department in the School of Medicine regarding grant income, scholarly output, public and policy engagement. As the Champion of the Ageing Research Theme in Trinity College, Regius Kenny is one of five leaders for the ‘Inspiring Generations’ campaign for Trinity College.
Regius Kenny has co-chaired the European working group “Transforming the Future of Ageing” led by the Scientific Advisory Policy by European Academies (SAPEA), and served as an advisor to the Irish Government for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and to the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Ageing. She has published over 700 scientific publications to date, including 574 research articles, 52 reviews, 4 textbooks and 57 book chapters. She is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (M.R.I.A); Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (F.R.C.P.E.): London (F.R.C.P.), Ireland (F.R.C.P.I.); Fellow of Trinity College Dublin (F.T.C.D); Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (F.E.S.C), and was most recently awarded, 2021: Honorary Fellow Faculty of Public Health Medicine (F.F.P.H.M.I (Hon)). She has over 50 medal awards and keynotes, and recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award, WCFP, Kuala Lumpur 2019, and honorary fellowship of the faculty of Public Health Medicine (2020); The Irish Times Health Hero, 2018; and Trinity Innovation Award, 2017. In 2020, she was elected President of the Irish Geriatrics Society (IGS). Regius Kenny authored the No.1 best-selling book, “Age Proof: the new science of living a longer and healthier life”, published in 2022.
In June 2022, Regius Kenny was the first female to be appointed Regius Professor of Physic (1637) at Trinity College Dublin. The Regius Professorship of Physic is the oldest professorship in Ireland and one of the oldest Medical Professorships in Europe (the Latin, Physic, referring to the art or practice of healing disease).