PResident's RePORt 2009/2010 - University College Cork
PResident's RePORt 2009/2010 - University College Cork
PResident's RePORt 2009/2010 - University College Cork
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Foreword<br />
UCC at a Glance<br />
Academic Developments<br />
Teaching and Learning<br />
Research<br />
<strong>College</strong> Reports:<br />
Arts, Celtic<br />
Studies and Social<br />
Sciences<br />
Business and Law<br />
Medicine and Health<br />
Science, Engineering and<br />
Food Science<br />
Events<br />
Student Experience<br />
Sports and Recreation<br />
Buildings and Estates<br />
<strong>Cork</strong> <strong>University</strong> Press<br />
Finance<br />
Governing Body<br />
IRIS Appendix<br />
38<br />
<strong>College</strong> of Medicine and Health<br />
The <strong>College</strong> of Medicine and Health has maintained and<br />
expanded its activities throughout <strong>2009</strong>/<strong>2010</strong>, in what has been<br />
a challenging financial climate. The college continues to attract<br />
the highest calibre students at undergraduate and postgraduate<br />
level. These students come to us with a freshness and energy<br />
which sustains their teachers. It is the creativity of our students<br />
and the dedication of our staff which has enabled us to maintain<br />
our standards and focus on the future.<br />
A number of projects have helped us to grow this year. The<br />
success of our bid under the PRTLI programme will see<br />
researchers consolidated in the Western Gateway Building<br />
and the development of a National Centre for Health Services<br />
Research. Funding under the Medical Education Reform<br />
Programme will mean that the basic science teaching will also<br />
relocate to the Western Gateway in facilities that can deliver new<br />
technologies and learning methodologies.<br />
At postgraduate level, there have been particular challenges this<br />
year. Health providers are sponsoring smaller numbers of staff<br />
taking postgraduate programmes. Releasing staff to participate<br />
in programmes can also prove difficult. The college has<br />
responded to this change by introducing flexible option study<br />
modules and by offering programmes at certificate and diploma<br />
as well as masters level. In its service to the community, the<br />
college is expanding its continuing professional education remit<br />
to all schools and connecting with their professional associations<br />
to cater for this. The college also expanded its international<br />
student body with 14 per cent of students now originating from<br />
outside Ireland. Students of many programmes in the college<br />
are offered the opportunity to participate in overseas electives<br />
which are increasingly popular.<br />
The Dental School and Hospital continued its service to the<br />
community with a free cancer screening programme offered<br />
to the public. The screening day was organised by Dr Eleanor<br />
O’Sullivan in order to raise public awareness of the importance<br />
of going for oral health check-ups. There was overwhelming<br />
demand and two further screening days were arranged. In all,<br />
approximately 1,200 people were screened at <strong>Cork</strong> Dental<br />
School and Hospital.<br />
As Professor Michael Berndt left his position as Head of <strong>College</strong><br />
to take up a post in Dublin, Professor Geraldine McCarthy has<br />
acted as Head of the <strong>College</strong> of Medicine and Health since<br />
July <strong>2010</strong>. Professor Josephine Hegarty was appointed Acting<br />
Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery during Professor<br />
McCarthy’s absence.<br />
In the School of Medicine, Professor David Kerins completed<br />
his term as Dean in August with Professor George Shorten<br />
designated to assume the role from October <strong>2010</strong>.<br />
Research Highlights<br />
• The annual <strong>College</strong> Research Day was held in June <strong>2010</strong> in the<br />
Brookfield Health Sciences Complex. 100 delegates deliberated<br />
the topic – Molecules to Medicine. The day was structured<br />
around four themes: measurement in healthcare research<br />
(keynote speaker – Professor Pamela Enderby, <strong>University</strong> of<br />
Sheffield); optimising drug delivery and therapeutics (Oliver<br />
Boucher, Signoid Pharma); immunology and infections (Dr<br />
Simon Draper, <strong>University</strong> of Oxford) and gut health (Professor<br />
Paul Ross, Teagasc, Moorepark). The Michael C Berndt Gold<br />
Medals for Research Innovation were presented to the best<br />
speakers in each category. The recipients were Ciara O’Toole,<br />
Martin O’Neill, Andrew Coveney and Declan McKernan. A poster<br />
event also took place, the winning posters were: (1st prize)<br />
Carola Murphy, Gerard Moloney, Lindsay Hall, Aoife Quinlan,<br />
Emilie Faivre, Pat Casey, Fergus Shanahan, Silvia Melgar and<br />
Ken Nally for ‘Development and characterisation of a novel in<br />
vivo model to track neutrophil migration in experimental colitis<br />
using bioluminescence imaging’; (2nd prize) M. Murphy, S.<br />
Byrne and C.P. Bradley for ‘Does cash payment influence a<br />
GP’s decision to prescribe antiobiotics?’ and (3rd prize) Una<br />
Leonard, Catherine Pettigrew, Nicola Bessell and Will Hutch<br />
for ‘Syntatic reactions: the effect of determiner-priming on<br />
visual mass noun recognition speeds’. The conference was<br />
sponsored by Pfizer Corporation; Cruinn Diagnostics; Miltenyi<br />
Biotec; Becton Dickinson and Caliper LifeSciences.<br />
• Researchers from the UCC Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine<br />
have recently published their findings from a study of the<br />
application of STOPP/START criteria in over 1,300 people,