The UCD GAA Club is delighted to announce that it is holding a symposium on Player Well-being on Wednesday 25th January at 7.45p.m. in B004 in the UCD Health Sciences building.

Speakers on the night include:
Dr. Brendan Egan:   Nutrition & fatigue, the connection.
Mr. Colin Regan:   Why is drink so in vogue?  The athlete binge culture.
Ms. Edwina O’Malley: Observations on cruciate injury & player concussion.
Dr. Pat O’Neill:   Sports rehab & prevention - myths & all.
 
The symposium will be moderated by Mr. John Murphy
 
All UCD students and staff are welcome to attend the event.  No admission charge.
 
For further information please contact David Billings, UCD GAA Executive tel. 716 2402.
 
Speaker Profiles
Dr. Brendan Egan is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy, and Population Science at UCD, covering modules in sports nutrition, exercise prescription and molecular exercise physiology. His current research interests include an investigation of the nutrition strategies to enhance sports performance, and the molecular regulation of skeletal muscle function and adaptation in exercise, health and disease. He is a current Sligo footballer and former Sigerson Cup winner with DCU in 2006.
 
Mr. Colin Regan is the national co-ordinator of the GAA programme on drug and alcohol abuse.  He is primarily responsible for policy formulation and implementation.  Colin is a former distinguished footballer with Leitrim and Connacht. He is a noted journalist with many published articles and holds a Masters in Sports Management from UCD.

Ms. Edwenia O'Malley, a PhD candidate in University College Dublin, is currently undertaking research into the incidence of sports injuries in Gaelic football and Hurling. To date, she has assisted in investigating types of injuries common to the games and is currently evaluating new injury prevention methods aiming to enhance player welfare in the future.  She presently works as a chartered physiotherapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist at Sports Med Ireland, a leading sports therapy facility, where she is responsible for the rehabilitation and training of clients ranging from Olympic athletes to weekend warriors.
 
Dr. Pat O’Neill is a graduate of UCD and is a leading light in sports medicine in Ireland.  He is a consultant in orthopedic medicine and a physician in sports medicine. He is also chairperson of the UCD Gaelic Football Graduates Scholarship committee.  He has given most generously and pro bono of his time and energy to helping students (old and young) of UCD.  He holds a unique place in GAA lore in that he has won All Ireland football medals as a player  (1976 & 1977) and manager with Dublin (1995). He has also won Sigerson cups with UCD during his long sojourn as a student.

Mr. John Murphy, MSc B Physio (NUI) GDBS, Specialist Member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, Clinical Director Medfit, Senior Partner Carysfort Physiotherapy Clinic and Level 3 Accredited Sports Physiotherapist. John has been a member of the GAA Medical Scientific and Player Welfare Committee since its inception in 2006.  He is the current Director of the GAA National Injury Database, established in 2006 in conjunction with UCD School of Physiotherapy.  In 2011 he became a member on the GAA research sub-committee tasked with implementing injury prevention strategies. The GAA are currently undertaking research on limiting lower limb injuries including ACL injuries, with his guidance. John has extensive experience in elite sports injury management including the role of head physiotherapist with the Dublin Senior Gaelic Football team from 2004-2008. Clinically he has specific interests in injuries to the shoulder and knee joints, lower back and neck dysfunction, recurrent sports injuries, and the relationship between a managed healthy lifestyle and injury prevention.