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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,

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