The Charles Institute’s Seminar Series, launched in 2019, is a key element of our education platform and hosts high-profile guest speakers from home and abroad to share with us the latest research in their areas of skin science and dermatological science every two weeks (during term time) from both clinical and basic research perspectives.
This educational series, which is chaired by Prof Desmond Tobin (Full Professor of Dermatological Science and Director of the UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology), is shared not only with UCD researchers and others physically present in our institute seminar room, but is also broadcast live to dermatologists and other clinicians with a special interest in dermatology on the Island of Ireland via Zoom.
In addition, the series is also accessible to students registered on our three online-only university awards including a) Masters-level Diploma in Clinical Dermatology (clinicians only - GPs in particular); b) Certificate in Continuing Education in Skin & Hair Follicle Sciences (Grooming sector); and our Masters-level Micro-credentials in Skin & Hair Follicle Sciences.
Members of the Dermatology Societies of UCD and UCC are also invited.
Talks are generally also available for limited playback (2 weeks).
Our seminar series has been supported for its first 6 series (2018-2024) by an unrestricted educational grant by A. Menarini Ireland. Synopses of the seminars are written by a medical journalist and featured in The Medical Independent.
The 7th iteration of the seminar series will be launched in late September 2025 with schedule and list of upcoming Charles Seminar Series talks to be published on our UCD Charles Institutes Website at: https://www.ucd.ie/charles/
Please feel free to explore our archive list of speakers from previous series and also look at https://www.ucd.ie/charles/
If you are UCD-affiliated or a consultant dermatologist on the island of Ireland and would like to be added to our mailing list please email charles@ucd.ie
Upcoming Talks:
Information about Series 7 (2025–26 talks) will be shared soon. Stay tuned!
Charles Seminar Series 6 - 2024-25
1
Talk 1 - "How to make & use Sebaceous Gland organoids" by Prof. Maurice van Steensel, Nanyang Technological University & Skin Research Institute of Singapore, Singapore
2
Talk 2 - "Life under the knife" by Dr. Siun Murphy,Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeon, Blackrock Clinic & Hermitage Medical Centre Dublin
3
Talk 3 - "Creating devices to administer macromolecules via the Buccal Epithelium: The EU BUCCAL-PEP consortium" by Prof. David Brayden, Advanced Drug Delivery University College Dublin
4
Talk 4 - "Clinical and Mechanistic Research on Diabetic Wound Healing" by Prof. Wuquan Deng, Chongqing University Central Hospital, China
5
Talk 5 - "Understanding Ageing and Doing Something About It" by Prof. Suresh I S Rattan, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
6
Talk 6 - "Harm, Calm & Alarm: Striking the Balance in Melanoma Diagnosis" by Prof. Harold Kittler, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
7
Talk 7 - "What’s new about acne?" by Prof. Alison Layton, University of York, and Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate, UK
8
Talk 7 - "Engineered In Vitro Systems and Computational Models for Studying the Mechanobiology of Soft Tissue Remodeling " by Prof. Alison Layton, Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering The University of Iowa, USA
9
Talk 9 - "Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia - an epidemic in Dermatology in the West" by Prof. Bianca Maria Piraccini, Head of Dermatology, Department University of Bologna
10
Talk 10 - "Defining Epithelial Innate Immune Sensors" by Dr Kim Samirah Robinson, University of York & Hull York Medical School
11
Talk 11 - "Mechanisms of brain aging and healthspan determination " by Prof. David Walker, University of California, Los Angeles
Charles Seminar Series 5 - 2023-24
1
Talk 1 - "Hairs, Feathers, Fingerprints: Development of specialisedskin structures and their variation in evolution & disease" by Prof. Denis Headon, Roslin Institute/Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
2
Talk 2 - "Molecular & Cellular Perspective of Dynamic Reciprocity in Skin Physiology" by Prof. Ronan Murphy, School of Health & Human Performance, Dublin City University.
3
Talk 3 - "Biomechanical regulation of skin epidermal barrier formation and regeneration in health and disease" by Prof. Dr. Carien M Niessen, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Germany.
4
Talk 4 - "Targeting the Integrin αvβ6 for imaging & therapy of Carcinoma" by Prof. John Marshall, Professor and Centre Lead for Tumour Biology Barts Cancer Institute, London
5
Talk 5 - "Tissue-engineered fibrillar fibronectin matrices spatiotemporally modulate β1 integrin-mediated cell responses from adhesion initiation to skin appendage repair" by Prof. SeungkukAhn, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
6
Talk 6 - "Melanin, DNA photodamage and vitamin D" by Prof. Antony R Young, Emeritus Professor of Experimental Photobiology, Facultyof Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London (KCL)
7
Talk 7 - "NEUROFIBROMATOSIS TYPE 1: UPDATE & INSIGHTS" by Dr Angela Hernández-Martín, Senior Consultant Dermatologist, Hospital Infantil Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain
8
Talk 8 - "Psycho-trichology - a new paradigm in hair loss management" by Prof. Yuliya Ovcharenko, Depart. of Infectious Diseases & Clinical Immunology V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, UKRAINE
9
Talk 9 - "Scabs & microbiota in wound healing " by Dr Elena Conde-Montero, Dermatology Consultant Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor Virgen de la Torre Hospital, Madrid, Spain
10
Talk 10 - "Pathogenesis & Treatment of Chemotherapy-induced Alopecia" by Prof. Ohsang Kwon, Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Charles Seminar Series 4 - 2022-23
1
Talk 1 - "MBTPS1 defects cause CAOP syndrome (cataract, alopecia, oral mucosal disorder, & psoriasis-like syndrome)" by Prof. Ming Li, Department of Dermatology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao tong University School of Medicine
2
Talk 2 - "Identifying Therapeutic Targets for Hidradenitis Suppurativa" by Prof. Jean Fletcher, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin
3
Talk 3 - "Keloid Scarring - A neglected medical problem" by Prof. Xiaoli Wu, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, China Jiaotong, University School of Medicine
4
Talk 4 - "Investigating a role for MAIT cells in the pathogenesis of Hidradenitis Suppurativa" by Prof. Andrew E. Hogan, Lonsdale Human Health Institute, Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Ireland
5
Talk 5 - "Bacterio-therapy for the Management of Staphylococcus Aureus in Eczema" by Prof. Catherine O'Neill, The University of Manchester, UK
6
Talk 6 - "The Skin You’re In: An Introduction to Psychodermatology" by Dr Jillian Doyle, D.Clin.Psy, The Rotunda Hospital Dublin and The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.
7
Talk 7 - "Phenotype-switching in Cancer Progression" by Prof. Colin Goding, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford
Talk 8 - "Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases-Early intervention strategies and novel therapeutic approachesy" by Prof. Miriam Wittman, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, Department of Dermatology
9
Talk 9 - "Diving into Stem Cell Niche & Catching Hair Cycle Wave" by Maksim Plikus, Department of Developmental & Cell Biology, University of California in Irvine
10
Talk 10 - "Cutaneous toxicities secondary to immunotherapeutic agents" by Prof. Rubeta Matin, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
11
Talk 11 - "Insights into the transformation of skin resident T-cells" by Prof. Sean Whittaker, St Johns Institute of Dermatology, Kings College London, London, Great Britain
12
Talk 12 - "On the hunt for genes for hair anomalies" by Prof. Regina Betz, Institute of Human Genetics University Hospital of Bonn, Germany
13
Talk 13 - "The Emperor has no clothes’ Why dermatologist’s beliefs about sunlight are wrong" by Prof. Richard Weller, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
14
Talk 14 - "Recognition of Elicited CD4+ T Cell Epitopes in Autoimmune Disease" by Prof. Eddie James, Center for Translational Immunology, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
15