Maev-Ann Wren facts for kids

Maev-Ann Wren is an Irish expert who has worked as an economist, journalist, and author. She used to advise a government minister on health matters. She was also the main economics writer for The Irish Times newspaper. Maev-Ann Wren has written two books about how Ireland's health system works. Her ideas are often discussed by politicians in the Dáil and Seanad, which are parts of the Irish parliament. People often call her a top expert on health care.

Maev-Ann Wren's Early Life and Education

Maev-Ann Wren grew up in Rathmines, a part of Dublin. She went to University College Dublin (UCD). In 1978, she earned a degree in history and economics. She later got a master's degree in economics from UCD. She also earned a PhD in economics from Trinity College Dublin (TCD). While at UCD, she made history as the second female leader of the university's Literary and Historical Society.

Her Career as a Journalist and Author

Maev-Ann Wren worked at The Irish Times newspaper from 1980 to 2004. There, she wrote about money, politics, and social issues. She reported from different places, including Dublin, Belfast, and the United States. She held many important roles, such as financial reporter and economics editor.

Awards for Her Writing

In 2001, she won a National Media Award. This was for her series of articles called An Unhealthy State. These articles, published in 2000, looked closely at problems in the Irish health system. The next year, she was nominated for another award. This was for her series States of Health, which compared Ireland's health care to other countries'.

Books About Health Care

Maev-Ann Wren has written two important books about health care in Ireland. Her first book, Unhealthy State — Anatomy of a Sick Society, came out in 2003. It explored the challenges in Irish medical care and suggested ways to improve it.

Her second book, How Ireland Cares — The Case for Health Reform, was published in 2006. She wrote this book with an American health economist named Professor A. Dale Tussing. It started as a study for a group of workers' unions to help them talk with the government about health care.

Later Career and Research

After leaving The Irish Times in 2004, Maev-Ann Wren continued her studies. She earned her PhD in health economics from Trinity College Dublin. She also kept writing articles for other publications. These included The Sunday Business Post and Village magazine. She also contributed to the Economic and Social Research Institute's Quarterly Economic Commentary.

From 2011 to 2012, she worked as a special advisor to a government minister, Roisin Shortall. She also did research at Trinity College Dublin and the Economic and Social Research Institute. She became a senior researcher there in 2014 and retired in 2022. In 2022, she also became a professor at University College Dublin.

Maev-Ann Wren is from Dublin. She is married to Cormac O'Rourke, and they have two daughters, Claire and Sorcha.

Selected Works

• Unhealthy State: Anatomy of a Sick Society. Dublin: New Island, 2003. ISBN: 1-902602-88-9.
• How Ireland Cares: The Case for Health Care Reform. With A. Dale Tussing. Dublin: New Island, 2006. ISBN: 1-905494-23-8.
• Health Spending and the Black Hole. Article in ESRI's Quarterly Economic Commentary, September 2004

See also

• Auditors of the Literary and Historical Society (University College Dublin)