Dr. Tanya Mulcahy, PhD

Tanya is Director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) a national government supported initiative that supports startups and innovators to fast track development and adoption of products by providing trusted access to the healthcare system in Ireland. HIHI delivers supports from early problem definition through clinical evaluation, piloting, and, where possible, adoption, while reducing risk for both innovators and the health service, delivering better patient outcomes and supporting the indigenous healthtech sector. 

She has an honours degree in Biochemistry, a PhD in Cancer Genetics and completed postdoctoral research in Neuropsychiatric Genetics. She has over 25 years’ experience in the start-up, pharma, product development and research industry in Ireland and the US.  

In 2024 she was appointed as Technical Advisor to the WHO Advisory Group on Healthcare Innovation. In 2021 she was appointed by the Minister for Health to the HPRA Medical Device Advisory Committee and is an independent advisor to a number of HealthTech start-ups. She established Ireland’s first Femtech Ecosystem in 2022 and  in 2025 she was named as Business Post Top 100 Women In Tech. She is particularly interested in supporting female founders and those innovating in women’s health and authored the report Femtech In Ireland – The Case for Prioritising Women’s Health Research and Innovation (2025).