DrSean Paul Teeling

Dr Seán Paul Teeling is the Programme Director for the Professional and Graduate Certificates in Process Improvement in Health Systems at UCD Health Systems. He completed his PhD in Person-Centred Practice at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, where he is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow. He is also a 2023–2025 Fellow in Teaching & Academic Development at UCD.

Seán Paul is the lead researcher on the Person-centred Lean Six Sigma (PCLSS) model, an internationally recognised framework that integrates technical excellence with relational and values-driven principles. The PCLSS model has been adopted in 12 countries, translated into German and Spanish, and applied in more than 200 healthcare projects worldwide. In 2023, it was awarded Best Abstract at Stanford University’s Lean Healthcare Academic Conference.

At UCD, he teaches and mentors healthcare professionals in Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, and person-centred improvement methodologies, enabling them to design and lead projects that deliver measurable outcomes while building healthful cultures of care. He has received Teaching Excellence Awards at both College and University level, reflecting his commitment to person-centred education and innovation in pedagogy.

His professional journey includes serving as Lean Manager at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, co-developing its Process Improvement in Healthcare programme, and as Clinical Planning Officer for the Mater Campus Development Project, collaborating widely on the design and delivery of the 65,000 sqm Whitty building. A registered General and Children’s Nurse, he has also worked as an Operating Room nurse and manager in Ireland, the UK, and the US.

Seán Paul is an accredited facilitator of person-centred cultures, an affiliate of the Stanford Medicine Centre for Improvement, a licensed SHINGO Institute Affiliate, and a member of the American Society for Quality. His qualifications include Lean Six Sigma Green, Black, and Master Black Belt certifications, an MBA (with merit), MA, BSc (Hons) in Health Service Management, and BMus, alongside a Higher Diploma in OR Nursing.

His research and teaching are guided by the conviction that improvement in healthcare is not only about efficiency, but about creating systems and learning environments where patients, families, staff, and students can flourish.