ANNUAL REVIEW master Final3a - St Vincent's University Hospital

St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group Limited - Annual Review 2007
Education & Research
made significant strides which are intimately interwoven with the establishment of the DAHC. We are pleased that Prof.
William Powderly has been appointed as the interim Chief Academic Officer. Dr Peter Doran was appointed as the
Scientific Director of the UCD Clinical Research Centre in November 2007. Significantly, the CRC received its first
research participants on the 1st of March 2007, and now a number of research studies are underway. The
Rheumatology group have commenced arthroscopic procedures in the unit as part of the Translational Medicine
Programme study which was awarded by the HRB in 2006.
Funding
The new Translational Medicine Research group has been established with a Health Research Board award worth over
€1.5 million. This multidisciplinary group brings together rheumatology, colorectal and the vascular biology researchers,
based at SVUH and The Conway Institute has established a solid platform for collaborative and interdisciplinary
translational research. Researchers from the ERC obtained further major funding for Translational Medicine €1.3 million
entitled ‘Immune targeting strategies: improving the response rate to IFN-alpha/ribavirin therapy in chronic Hepatitis C
Virus infection’ in 2007. In addition the colorectal group have been shortlisted for a prestigious HRB Health Research
Centre Award worth up to €5 million over the next five years.
All principal investigators, senior scientists, post-doctoral scientists, clinical fellows, post-graduate students and
research assistants deserve huge congratulations as the Education and Research Centre have achieved over 70
publications in peer reviewed journals and 6 higher degrees were awarded. This could not be achieved without the
dedicated enthusiasm and hard work from each and every researcher, as well as the superb support of the Laboratory
Co-ordinator, Dr. Emer Bairead; the administration team of Ger Lanigan Ryan & Louise McCormack; as well as the ever
helpful Alan Garton.
The future continues to provide significant challenges for our research community with further integration and
rationalisation of space within the ERC and the CRC and the Conway Institute. We believe that there is currently a very
positive momentum in this regard. This poses a number of challenges in terms of:
• Permanent career track appointments for senior scientists in line with the International Review of Research
remains an unresolved and urgent priority
• Dedicated funding for research support and activities from the hospital and the University.
• Coordination, space infrastructure and personnel.
• Development of a DAHC research strategy
• Establishment of core resources especially technical and IT/bioinformatics staff.
These aspects are actively being reviewed and it is hoped that the PI’s, hospital management and UCD, through the
DAHC will support a cohesive strategic plan within a realistic time frame.
Prof. Doug Veale,
Medical Director,
E.R.C.
Prof Cliona O’Farrelly.
Director, Research Laboratories
E.R.C.
Return to Contents
18