Dr Richéal Burns is a Lecturer in Health Information Technology at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Ireland. Richéal is also a applied health economist with an area of expertise in economic evaluation alongside clinical trials and burden of illness analysis. Her clinical areas of interest include prostate cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, transplantation research, mental health, health literacy and autism.

In 2022, Richéal assisted in the launch the new Health and Biomedical (HEAL) Strategic Research Centre at the ATU and is currently the director of HEAL (2024-2026). Richéal also sits on ATU Academic Council, the ATU Research and Innovation committee, the ATU Research Ethics committee and the ATU Software Evaluation committee. In 2023, she was awarded a Senior Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy and in 2024 completed the Aurora leadership programme.

Richéal currently supervises sevenl doctoral and postgraduate students in the area of applied health economics and health outcomes analysis within the ATU. She also externally supervises two doctoral students in University of Ulster and two MD students.  She is the health economics advisor of the INITIative IBD gastroenterology network in Ireland and the ATU lead for the Translational Medicines Alliance Ireland (TMAI).

Richéal was the lead health economist for the Way's Ahead study hosted in Newcastle University which focuses on self-management strategies for patients with brain tumours.

In 2024, Richéal was a successful co-applicant on a TU Rise funded postgraduate research training programme (THRIVE PRTP).  She also was a co-applicant and co-lead ATU applicant for two sucessful Peace Plus projects which will invest €20 million in health funding to the region for the purposes of improving patient outcomes.