PResident's RePORt 2009/2010 - University College Cork

Foreword
UCC at a Glance
Academic Developments
Teaching and Learning
Research
College Reports:
Arts, Celtic
Studies and Social
Sciences
Business and Law
Medicine and Health
Science, Engineering and
Food Science
Events
Student Experience
Sports and Recreation
Buildings and Estates
Cork University Press
Finance
Governing Body
IRIS Appendix
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made new efforts to provide assessments of the competence
of trainees and practising physicians and professionals. The
symposium aimed to deepen the understanding of specific
areas of assessment in health care education and provided
overviews of state-of-the art strategies. This event was funded
by NAIRTL and was also approved for six credits by the Royal
College of Physicians of Ireland.
• The annual MedSoc Public Health Day took place in UCC
in March 2010. The stands represented included: Diabetes
Ireland; the Irish Heart Foundation; St John Ambulance; Aware
and the Blood Transfusion Board.
• UCC hosted the inaugural Mayo-UCC Cardiology symposium
in CUH’s new Cardiac Renal Centre (September 2010). The
symposium was cochaired by Noel Caplice, Professor of
Cardiovascular Sciences and Director of the Centre for Research
in Vascular Biology in the BioSciences. Members of staff in UCC
were joined by colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in presenting
a series of lectures on new developments in the diagnosis,
treatment and management of cardiovascular disease. The
conference provided a unique educational opportunity for the
more than 130 consultant cardiologists, cardiology specialist
nurses and other health care professionals.
• The twelfth annual De Pazzi Lecture, held in honour of Sr De
Pazzi, retired Matron of Mercy University Hospital, was hosted
by the APC and the Department of Medicine in association
with Mercy University Hospital (September 2010). ‘Preventing
colon cancer – is screening the way forward?’ was the title of
this year’s lecture, delivered by Jonathan Rhodes, Professor of
Medicine, University of Liverpool.
• The inaugural Mr Joe O’Donnell Lecture took place at the
UCC Medical Alumni Scientific Conference (September 2010).
Gerald McGreal delivered the inaugural lecture, which was
followed by the launch of Patients and Peace, an exhibition
of Joe O’Donnell’s artwork in the Jennings Gallery, Brookfield
Health Sciences Complex. Mr O’Donnell specialised in
vascular surgery, and rose to the top of his profession in both
the US and Ireland. Mr O’Donnell’s influence lives on through
the good work of the many who trained under his guidance,
skill and leadership.
• A teaching agreement between the College of Medicine and
Health and the Bon Secours Hospital, Tralee was signed on
January 27th 2010. The agreement gives formal effect to a
deepening relationship between UCC and the Bons in the
teaching of medical students. It also extends the teaching
functions of the hospital to other pharmacy, nursing and
clinical therapies students. The agreement provides for joint
appointments between the hospital and the university and
gives access to university research facilities by hospital staff
wishing to pursue research interests. In the agreement, both
institutions committed to work together to support and foster
a culture of evidence-based and research-led healthcare.
• The second Molecular Medicine Ireland (MMI) Clinician
Scientist Fellowship Programme (CSFP) annual meeting
took place in UCC (June 2010). The objective of the CSFP
is to train the next generation of clinician scientists with the
specialised knowledge required to fulfil Ireland’s research
needs in translational medicine. The CSFP is funded by the
Irish Government under the PRTLI cycle-4. Fellows from five
institutions with a shared agenda in clinical and translational
research are participating in the programme, which is being
coordinated by MMI.
• The School of Clinical Therapies welcomed visitors Grette
Nielson and Jette Rasmussen from the University of Lillebaelt,
Odense, Denmark, who came to visit the School of Occupational
Therapy, through the ERASMUS scheme, to explore the taskbased
learning approach used in UCC. A reciprocal visit to
Odense is planned for 2011.
• Over 80 pharmaceutical industry delegates attended the Role
of the QP – The Paradigm for the 21st Century symposium
organised by the School of Pharmacy (February 2010).
Speakers discuss the role of the ‘Qualified Person’ (QP) in
the pharmaceutical sector. The symposium, organised by Dr
Brendan Griffin, Course Director, was held in conjunction with
the MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Systems
programme, established in 2007 with support from Amgen, to
meet the growing demand for QP in the pharmaceutical sector
in Ireland.
• Dr Tom Cavanagh presented a painting by Mick O’Dea
entitled Before a Day’s Skirmishing in the Countryside to the