UCD Health Affairs and CAO Group launch Annual Report 2020

 

As Chief Academic Officer of  Ireland East Hospital Group and Vice Principal of  UCD Health Affairs Professor Tim Lynch has been working with his CAO colleagues across the 7  hospital Groups throughout 2020. 

These meetings were initially established to direct a response from the Universities and Hospital Groups around COVID-19 research at the start of the pandemic in 2020 but progressed to include areas of concern in Irish healthcare - such as genomics, biobanking, simulation training and student placement. 

The 7 CAOs from across  RCSI,  UL,  UCC,  Trinity,  UCD,  NUIG,  CHI have been working to develop a  National Covid-19 Biobank with the  Department of Health and  HRB and have been successful in progressing this to the application stage throughout 2020. 

The CAO group have also worked closely with the  NDTP office to ensure simulation training remains a key priority going into 2020 with  increased funding now being received for simulation training of healthcare staff across the 7 hospital groups. 

As a group the CAO's have also met with the  Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to outline the importance of academic healthcare, research, training and innovation development in Irish healthcare going forward.  

In summarising the detailed work carried out by the CAO group during 2020 UCD Health Affairs created the CAO Annual Report 2020 to highlight areas of focus, successes and key priority areas for the CAOs going into 2021. 

The CAO group will continue with this important work going into 2021 to drive key projects in the areas of biobanking and student placement with the ultimate goal of creating an Academic Health Science System in Ireland.