University College Dublin (UCD) took part in the All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC) held on Friday 24thMarch in NUI Galway. The AIPEC challenge is coordinated in UCD by Health Affairs and it is an intervarsity competition for students from health disciplines to engage collaboratively and with healthcare professionals to address a complex care issue. In 2023 UCD joined the competition for the second time and faced teams from University College Cork, University of Limerick, NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, Queens University Belfast (QUB), Ulster University Coleraine and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.
Students from the UCD School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, School of Social Policy and Social Work and Social Justice responded to a call from UCD Health Affairs, led by Professor Tim Lynch, and a team of seven students were selected. The UCD team were supported by academic staff: Assoc Prof Cliona O’Sullivan from the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and Dr Brynne Gilmore from UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems.
The UCD Student Team put in hours of work over the past weeks as was evident in the quality, depth, and breadth of their performance and their responses to the judge’s questions. They reached out to and met with many colleagues in UCD, and outside of UCD who shared their perspectives over the last number of weeks.
The standard of entries from all universities in the competition was very competitive but the interdisciplinary UCD student team was outstanding, and it was lovely to see their collegiality shine through.
UCD Student Team AIPEC 2023:
- Ava Gibli- Radiography Stage 4, School of Medicine
- Manoj Narava- Medicine (Graduate Entry) Stage 3, School of Medicine
- Aditi Chaturvedi- Medicine Stage 5, School of Medicine
- Naomi McDonnell- MSc. Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health Stage 1, Physiotherapy and Sports Science
- Clodagh Mcintyre- Physiotherapy Stage 4, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science
- Noel Portley- Social Work School of Social Policy Stage 1, Social Work and social Justice
- Meghan Jennings- Nursing Stage 3, School of Nursing
Huge congratulations to the UCD team on their achievement!
Thanks to all UCD Faculty from the College of Health and Agricultural Science who connected and supported the team and to Kasia Gaughan and Suzanne McMahon from UCD Health Affairs for their support.
We look forward to next year when AIPEC will be hosted by Queens University Belfast in March 2024.