Congratulating the Class of 2010

Congratulations to the graduates of our medicine programmes who were awarded their degrees on 3rd June 2010. In total 182 undergraduate students from our 4, 5 and 6-year programmes were awarded MB BCh BAO degrees by the President at a graduation ceremony in O’Reilly Hall. The graduating class are the first cohort to have completed a fully modularised curriculum and also includes a cohort of students who completed our first graduate entry medicine programme.

At the traditional UCD Medicine Gala Dinner, individual achievement and academic excellence was recognised with a range of prizes and medals including student-nominated awards. 

The School awarded prizes to the students at its annual Gala dinner on the evening of June 3. 

• For her achievement as first overall in the class, Dr. Laura Brown received the 1941 medal for first place overall; she also received the DK O’Donovan Medal for first place in the subject of Medicine, and the Surgeon Hugh Boyle Kennedy Medal for first place in Surgery. 
• Dr. Laura Brown shared the Brain McGovern Medal (for first place in Medicine in the Resident year) with Drs. Eoin Mulroy and Conor Fearon. 
• Dr. Mulroy was the inaugural winner of the William Wilde medal in Otorhinolaryngology. 
• Dr. Margaret Lee was awarded the Sean Malone Medal in Psychiatry. 
• Dr Joseph McGrane Medical student of the year award.
• Ms Catriona Quinn the Radiography student of the year award.
• Ms Sarah Carroll the Biomedical Health and Life Sciences student of the year award.

Congratulations also to the 13 students who completed UCD’s first accelerated programme of study and graduated from our inaugural 4 year course.  These students will maintain this trail-blazing role as they embark upon the new National Intern Training Programme and many will continue to participate in UCD-led clinical training at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital and the Midlands Regional Hospitals in Tullamore, Portlaoise and Mullingar.

The UCD Medicine Gala Dinner marks the conclusion of another successful year and as student commence their careers in Medicine, Radiography and Science, our academic staff begin preparations for the next student intake.  The success of the Class of 2010 spur our staff on as they review teaching materials, reflect on feedback from students, colleagues and external examiners to deliver innovative, high quality programmes.

Fitzgerald Medal

One of the highest accolades of the School of Medicine and Medical Sciences is the Fitzgerald Medal. This medal honours brothers Patrick, Oliver and Gerald FitzGerald, all distinguished graduates of the Medical School; Patrick and Oliver were former professors of surgery and therapeutics respectively.

The medal is given occasionally to a physician with a distinguished career in biomedical scientific research conducted mainly in Ireland.  There have been only 2 prior recipients (Prof Ciaran McCarthy and Prof Eoin O’Malley).   This year the School awarded the Fitzgerald medal to Professor Barry Bresnihan.

Professor Bresnihan was a graduate of the class of 1968.  After postgraduate training in London and Dallas, he was appointed consultant rheumatologist at St. Vincent’s Hospital in 1978 and from then developed and led an internationally recognized investigative group in inflammatory arthritis and connective tissue diseases while delivering first rate clinical care and training many young physicians and investigators in Rheumatology, including his colleagues, Prof Oliver Fitzgerald and Prof. Doug Veale. 

Teachers of the Year

One of the highlights of the annual Gala dinner is the recognition of the teachers of the year.  The teachers of the year are voted by students at each stage and are recognized by the students by virtue of their dedication to their subject and the energy and enthusiasm they show.  

This years the teachers recognised were:

• Dr. Mark McEntee
• Mr Jonathan McNulty
• Ms Marie-Louise Butler
• Dr. Jason Last
• Prof Cormac Taylor
• Dr. Stuart Bund
• Dr. John Moynihan
• Dr. Philip Nolan
• Dr. Blaithin McMahon
• Prof Aonghus Curran
• Dr. Niamh Bambury
• Dr. John Ryan
• Mr Gerry McEntee
• Prof Donal O’Shea
• Dr. John Seery
• Medicine Teacher of the Year:  Dr. Koon Meng Chan

Celebrating Success, Progression and Friendship

The 2011 Alumni Reunion brought together the graduates of 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 2001 to participate in the MGA Annual General Scientific Meeting and Gala Reunion Dinner on 29^th April 2011.

The afternoon commenced with the Medical Graduates’ Association Annual Scientific Meeting which took place in the Health Sciences Centre. Graduates were first given an opportunity to tour the new Health Sciences Centre by some of our current medical students and were impressed by the state of the art clinical skills and dissection facilities as well as some familiar sights from their days in Earlsfort Terrace in the Anatomy Museum. Each graduate was provided with a copy of the ‘Farewell to the Terrace’ volume produced by UCD to commemorate the past. Following the tours, the Scientific Meeting commenced and delegates were treated to a varied and interesting range of presentations by speakers from the graduating years.

Scientific Meeting

The Scientific Meeting was opened with a welcoming address from UCD Dean of Medicine, Professor Bill Powderly.  Professor Powderly informed the audience of the many new developments that have been introduced since their undergraduate days including, the White Coat Ceremony to mark clinical progression, the introduction of modularization and the Penang Medical College, Malaysia, twinning programme with RCSI. Professor Powderly then introduced MGA President, Dr. Jane Dolan who gave a brief word of welcome and affirmed the ties that have been forged over the past years through the Medical Graduates Association which recognizes their affiliation to UCD and their bond as a medical community.

Dr. Deirdre Phelan from the Class of 2001 was the first speaker.  Her presentation was on the specialist area of Occupational Consultancy.  Dr Phelan was followed by Dr. Bobby Smyth, Class of 1991, who gave an equally engaging presentation on Child Psychiatry – ‘Teenagers - Understanding Risk Behaviour and Promoting Mental Health’ raising awareness of the issues around drug and alcohol use as well as depression at this critical age.  Class of 1986 graduate, Professor Mary Horgan in UCC, looked at the challenges currently facing medical education in Ireland.  Professor Horgan finished with an apt quotation from Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species who survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

Sex, Love, Passion and Medicine

The meeting resumed after a short break with a reviving topic by Dr. Colm O’Mahony from the Class of 1981: “Are Sex, Love, Passion and Desire Compatible with a Medical Marriage?”  Class of 1971 graduate, Professor Michael Foley presented his seminar on Women’s Health focusing on the transition from young women through child birth and motherhood to maturity.  Our MGA Distinguished Graduate for 2011 is Dr. Louise Ivers who works with the poor in Haiti.  Dr. Ivers gave a very informative talk on ‘Pushing the Boundaries in Healthcare Delivery to the Poor: Haiti.”  To conclude, the 2011 Dr Leslie Lam Lecture was given by Mr Frank McManus entitled “The Mater Hospital – 150 Years Strong.”

The Scientific Meeting was followed by a short reception and book launch. Professor Cuimín Doyle talked about his two new volumes of medical poetry entitled Healing Hands from the Cradle to the Grave and Medieval and Hippocratic Medicine in Verse.  Professor Doyle graduated from UCD in 1958 and trained in pathology in Dublin and Glasgow. He was appointed Senior Lecturer in Pathology at UCC and Consultant Histopathologist at St. Finbarr's Hospital, Cork in 1969. He was Professor of Pathology at UCC and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in the 1980s. His books can be purchased 'online' from Kennys.ie Online Booksellers Galway by entering, by author 'Cuimin T. Doyle’ at a cost of €15 each.

Celebrating Service to Medicine

After dinner, MGA President Dr Jane Dolan presented the MGA Distinguished Graduate Award to Dr Louise Ivers in recognition of her contribution to medicine in Haiti, where she has been striving to develop healthcare services for the poor. Dr Dolan also presented the Meenan Research Medal to Dr Robert Byrne and the O’Connell Research Medal to Dr Roisin Dolan in recognition of their research into coronary artery disease and breast cancer respectively. Congratulations to Dr Byrne and Dr Dolan on these wonderful achievements and we wish them every success in the future.