Michael Fitzgerald is Henry Marsh Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin. He was the first Profesor Of Child Psychiartry in Ireland. A Clinical and Research Consultant to the Irish Society for Autism and an Honorary member of the Northern Ireland Institute of Human Relations, he has a doctorate in the area of autism and has been a researcher in this area since 1973. He trained at St. Patrick’s Hospital Dublin, Chicago Medical School, and The Maudsley Hospital and the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London. He has clinically diagnosed over 2000 individuals with autism and Asperger’s syndrome and has served on the Government Task Force on Autism and the Family. He has contributed to National and International Journals on autism and is the author of over 120 publications. He has written or co written 20 books.
 

Michael undertook his internship at the Chicago Medical School U.S.A. in 1970 and worked as a junior doctor at St. Patrick’s Hospital Dublin from 1972 onwards. Then he worked at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospital London and the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen’s Square, London 1975 to 1978. Then in 1979 he was a senior registrar in Psychiatry King’s College Hospital London and Hospital for Sick Childrens Group in London. He has been a consultant psychiatrist for the National Children’s Hospital Dublin (and later incorporated into the Adelaide and Meath Hospital), Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children Dublin, and the South Western Area Health Board in Dublin. He received an M.B. from the University College Galway and an M.D. from T.C.D. He is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in England. 
 

In 1996 he became the first professor of child psychiatry in Ireland – the Henry Marsh Professor of Child Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin. He is the clinical and research consultant for the Irish Society for Autism. He became an associate member of the British Psychoanalytic Society and the International Psychoanalytic Association in 1980 and remains the only psychoanalyst recognised by the International Psychoanalytic Association in the Republic of Ireland (2005) and was the first to practice here with this recognition. He is a member of the British Institute of Psychoanalysis.

He initiated the first Masters programme in Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the 1980’s. In the 1990’s he developed with Dr. Mary Smith a Masters programme in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College Dublin and with Nessa Childers, Ross Skelton, Ann Murphy and others a Masters programme in Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College Dublin. He founded the Journal the Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and the Irish Journal for Child Psychotherapy. He founded the Irish Standing Conference on Psychotherapy. He was co-chair of the Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. He has been a tutor in Psychotherapy Queens University Belfast. He has supervised staff in training in psychotherapy at St. Ita’s Hospital, St. Loman’s Hospital, Artane Day Centre, Vergemount Hospital and St. Patrick’s Hospital Dublin. He had a long period of experience as consultant child psychiatrist  to an Inpatient Unit for child and adolescent psychiatric problems as well as Autism and Learning Disability in Dublin. he has also consults to two Child Psychiatric Clinics and has consulted to one over 25 years. He also consults to two Paediatric Hospitals.

He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Journal, Journal of the Irish Psychiatric Association, and the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. He is a past chairman of the Child Psychiatry Section and Psychotherapy Section of the Irish Division Royal College of Psychiatrists and of the Association of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry Irish Branch. He has been a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London Psychotherapy Section, Psychotherapy Training (PTSAC) Committee, Learning Disability Executive and Child Psychiatry Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He was also a founding member of the European Association of Psychotherapy (EAP) in Holland. He was involved in the early stages with the development of the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.He has worked in the field of autism since 1973. His other special interest is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.