Professor Caitriona Ryan and Professor Nicola Ralph as Featured on Newstalk's Down to Business

This month, the two co-founders of the Institute of Dermatologists opened Ireland's first dedicated skin cancer surgery centre, and have separately launched a longevity supplement, ID Formulas. Professor Caitriona Ryan and Professor Nicola Ralph discussed both with Bobby Kerr on Newstalk's Down to Business.

Surgical Institute Dublin, Ireland's first large-scale consultant partnership model focused on advanced dermatological surgery and minor procedures, opened in Ballsbridge, Dublin on Monday 13 July. Founded by Professor Caitriona Ryan and Professor Nicola Ralph alongside healthcare entrepreneur Conor Murphy, the purpose-built facility brings together more than 30 specialist consultants across dermatology, Mohs surgery, plastic surgery, oculoplastics, pathology, and medical oncology. Separately, the two professors have launched ID Formulas, a longevity supplement built around ingredients targeting twelve defined biological pathways of ageing. ID Formulas is a distinct entity from the Institute of Dermatologists and its ecommerce store.

How Did Two Consultant Dermatologists End Up Running Multiple Businesses?

Professor Ralph and Professor Ryan trained together as senior house officers in Ireland before their paths diverged for a period. Professor Ryan spent seven years in the United States, initially for a year of translational research into systemic inflammation in psoriasis patients at Texas A&M, before staying on faculty. It was there that she encountered a different model of private practice: consultants working together in centres of excellence rather than as solo practitioners, with dermatology nurses, cosmetic and medical specialists, and surgical capability all under one roof.

Professor Ralph, meanwhile, built her career around photodermatology, sun-related allergy and skin disease, working as a consultant in the Mater public hospital from 2014 before moving into private practice. When Professor Ryan returned to Ireland, the two began discussing what a similarly integrated model could look like here.

Why Was Surgical Institute Dublin Created?

Dermatology has one of the longest waiting lists in the Irish healthcare system, and access to truly specialist surgical care has remained a significant gap. Surgical Institute Dublin was created to address that directly, with a clinician-led model that keeps decision-making in the hands of consultants rather than external investors, allowing patients to be assessed and treated in the same setting in a timely manner. The centre also plans to collaborate with the public sector to help reduce waiting times and support overburdened services.

"As dermatologists, we have witnessed firsthand the growing gap between demand and access to truly specialist skin cancer and dermatological surgery care. Surgical Institute Dublin was created to close that gap. Our vision is to build a centre of excellence where consultant-led, multidisciplinary expertise drives every decision, where innovation is embraced responsibly, and where patients receive timely, outcome-focused care in a setting designed specifically for complex skin surgery." - Professor Caitriona Ryan

"This partnership model ensures that clinical expertise drives decision-making, free from external investor pressures. When consultants are directly involved in shaping both the clinical and operational direction of a centre, it leads to better patient outcomes, stronger collaboration, and a more sustainable model of care." - Professor Nicola Ralph

What Is Surgical Institute Dublin?

The purpose-built facility in Ballsbridge brings together more than 30 specialist consultants across dermatology, Mohs surgery, plastic surgery, oculoplastics, pathology, and medical oncology. It houses four minor procedure theatres, a dedicated Mohs laboratory, a recovery area, a nurse admission suite, and consulting rooms designed for a "See-and-Treat" model and surgical dressing clinics. Mole mapping and patch testing services are planned to follow later in the year.

The model allows a patient seen by a dermatologist for a concern such as a suspicious mole to move directly into theatre for treatment, rather than being referred elsewhere and waiting for a separate procedure.

The centre is physician-owned rather than owned by an external investor or private equity firm, an increasingly common ownership structure elsewhere in Irish private healthcare.

Why Does Mohs Surgery Matter Here?

Mohs micrographic surgery is the gold standard treatment for skin cancer, and will be a cornerstone of Surgical Institute Dublin's offering. The centre represents the only private Mohs surgery capacity currently available in Dublin, addressing a specific gap in access to this specialist technique.

Will Health Insurance Cover Treatment at Surgical Institute Dublin?

Yes. Following its €4.7 million fundraise, Surgical Institute Dublin has agreements in place with all of Ireland's health insurance providers.

What Is ID Formulas?

ID Formulas is a longevity supplement developed separately by Professor Ryan and Professor Ralph, following more than six years of research, development, and formulation. It was prompted by the volume of questions they were fielding from patients, many through the Institute's Ask ID platform, about anti-ageing supplements. Rather than address one symptom at a time, the two built the formula around twelve defined cellular processes involved in biological ageing, including telomere shortening, mitochondrial dysfunction, and systemic inflammation.

"Our vision extends far beyond creating another supplement. We want to help redefine how people think about healthy ageing by combining evidence-based nutrition with biometric tracking, biological age measurement and clinical research to help people improve their healthspan." - Professor Caitriona Ryan

The product is taken in two parts: two gel capsules, alongside a powder mixed with water containing creatine, collagen, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant compounds. Omega-3 fatty acids are included in capsule form separately, since the formulation team found no way to make them palatable in the powder.

What Does the Research Behind ID Formulas Involve?

According to Professor Ryan, the team ran a randomised, double-blinded clinical trial assessing cognitive processing speed, skin, hair, and other clinical parameters. A separate pilot study, sent for analysis to a biological age clock laboratory in California, reportedly showed participants demonstrating up to 5.2 years of reversible biological ageing over a 12-week period, though Professor Ryan noted the team is still awaiting results from further epigenetic methylation clock testing. ID Formulas has also partnered with Whoop, giving users who wear the device an API integration to track changes in metrics like heart rate variability, sleep, and recovery over time.

One Important Note: ID Formulas Is a Separate Business

ID Formulas is a standalone venture from Professor Ryan and Professor Ralph, distinct from the Institute of Dermatologists clinic and its skincare and haircare ecommerce store. It is not sold through the Institute of Dermatologists website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Surgical Institute Dublin part of the Institute of Dermatologists?

It's a related but separate facility in Ballsbridge, Dublin, co-founded by Professor Caitriona Ryan and Professor Nicola Ralph alongside healthcare entrepreneur Conor Murphy, bringing together dermatology, Mohs surgery, plastic surgery, oculoplastics, pathology, and medical oncology under one roof. More information is available at surgicalinstitute.ie.

Where is Surgical Institute Dublin located?

Embassy House, Ballsbridge, Dublin.

What conditions does Surgical Institute Dublin treat?

Advanced dermatological surgery and minor procedures, including skin cancer surgery via Mohs micrographic surgery, with dermatology, plastic surgery, oculoplastics, pathology, and medical oncology specialists working from the same facility. Mole mapping and patch testing services are due to follow later in the year.

Is Surgical Institute Dublin covered by health insurance?

Yes. Agreements are in place with all of Ireland's health insurance providers. Patients should confirm specific cover details with their own provider or check surgicalinstitute.ie.

Is ID Formulas available through the Institute of Dermatologists?

No. ID Formulas is a separate company from the Institute of Dermatologists and is not part of its ecommerce store. It's available directly at idformulas.com.

For further information about Surgical Institute Dublin, visit surgicalinstitute.ie.

Thank you to Bobby Kerr and Newstalk's Down to Business for having Professor Caitriona Ryan and Professor Nicola Ralph on the show.