Dr Blathnaid Carlin

Dr Bláthnaid Carlin is a wife and mother of two who describes herself as a family woman to the core. 

Bláthnaid graduated from Queens University Belfast in July 2010 and has experience in emergency medicine, geriatrics, paediatrics and psychiatry to name but a few. Bláthnaid loves her job and is particularly proud of her ability to develop rapport with patients and make them feel seen and heard.

Bláthnaid is passionate about celebrating diversity and promoting equality, she is an LGBTQI ally and published author. Bláthnaid co-authored amazon international best seller ‘Good Grief: Finding Light in the Emotional Depths of Life’. Bláthnaid speaks very openly about her struggles with pregnancy loss, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy in Good Grief and also in her TED talk ‘The Girl Behind the Glasses’ and strives to break the taboo surrounding all women’s issues.

Bláthnaid is an eco-activist and in 2022 she was elected onto the RCGPNI council and subsequently took up the position of RCGPNI Climate and Sustainability lead. “I have always had an interest in climate change but when I became a Mum, the urgency of the impending climate crisis became a much higher priority on my radar. The more research I did on climate, the more responsibility I felt. Not just as a human and mother but also as a doctor too. When considering the Hippocratic oath -to do good and do no harm-I felt that not only applied to the patient sitting in front of me but to the future generations too.”

Bláthnaid’s eco-journey started an online eco-blog called ‘365 WAYS TO SAVE THE EARTH’ which gave simple hints and tips on how to make small changes in our everyday lives and homes to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. After eco-blogging for one year she received congratulations from Sir David Attenborough for her commitment to the climate crisis. Bláthnaid co-authored opinion pieces for GP Frontline Magazine as the Northern Ireland GP representative. She has also been published in RCGPNI members digest sharing her passion for health and sustainability. She was a keynote speaker at the MEDALL International Sustainability conference 2021 raising awareness on the health implications of the climate crisis. She was a keynote speaker at the RCGP 70th anniversary conference ‘A Vision for the Future of General Practice’ in October 2022. Bláthnaid received a nomination for RCGPNI GP of the year 2022 and was the winner of Inspirational doctor of the Year in association with Local Women Magazine. Both were patient nominations which was hugely humbling. 

Bláthnaid loves her job. “Helping patients through the best and worst times in their lives is a privilege and I am very proud to be a GP.”