Twomey graduated in medicine from University College Cork in 1970 and spent his first five years working in Cork in the acute hospital sector and general practice. In 1975 he went to the UK to pursue specialist training in geriatric medicine and general internal medicine initially in London and later in Liverpool. He returned to Cork in April 1979 as the second consultant physician in geriatric medicine at Cork University and St. Finbarr’s Hospitals, with teaching responsibilities at the University College Cork medical school. He remains active in a range of spheres including being a member to the Board of the Health Information & Quality Authority and the Intern Network Coordinator for the South Intern Network, linked with University College Cork, as part of the National Intern Training programme. He is also member, and current chairman, to the Board of Directors of St. Patrick’s Hospital Ltd. Incorporating Marymount University Hospice and Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the Hospice friendly. He is a co-investigator, representing University College Cork in a large study exploring the benefits of pravastatin in the reducing cardiac events, stroke and cognitive impairment in older patients with a history of vascular disease or at risk of such events. This is one of the first multi-centre studies that exclusively included older patients only. He serves a member of the Advisory Board of Senator Group, a group of researchers based in twelve institutions based in nine different European Union member states with a strong scientific and clinical background in Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Pharmacothe.
Distinctions
Twomey was President of the Irish Medical Organisation for 1989-90, and former Chairman of its Consultant Committee. He was President of the European Union of Medical Specialists from 1999 to 2002, the first Irish person to hold this position. He was a member of the Steering Group of the 2003 National Task Force on Medical Staffing that reviewed the organisation and staffing of Ireland’s acute hospital sector. He served as President of the Irish Gerontology Society from 2003-2007. In October 2006 he was invited to deliver the Annual Trevor Howell Guest Lecture at the autumn scientific meeting of the British Geriatrics Society in Harrogate.
