Deirdre is a U.C.D. graduate and a member of the Irish College of General Practitioners. She has a postgraduate diploma in Primary Care from N.U.I.G. She holds diplomas in Paediatrics, Medicine for the Elderly, Obstetrics and Womens Health, and has a Certificate in Travel Medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She has completed the STiF course in Sexually Transmitted Infections. Deirdre completed her four year specialist G.P. training scheme in Sligo where she worked for many years before returning to Dublin.