August 2020 College of Medicine and Health, UCC
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CoMH eNEWS Issue 37 | August 2020 College of Medicine and Health, UCC Navigate stories Welcome to our latest CoMH online newsletter New microbiome research of practical value to patients Congratulations to Virtual Conferrings » Graduates of our Medical and Summer Conferrings Infant & Dentistry Researchers awarded ¤500,000 in HRB funding Two awards for ‘Outstanding Junior Scientist’ Dr Erin Harris MSc in Human Anatomy open on PAC Research » HRB Funding » CRF-C to play lead role in WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Trial Other news CoMH eNews is intended for circulation among staff and students of the College of Medicine and Health, UCC. Extracts from CoMH eNews should not be published without the permission of the editor. Awards » Courses » Coronavirus Response » For info and submissions email: [email protected] Start reading CoMH eNews CoMH eNEWS Message from Head of College Issue 37 | August 2020 Our researchers continue to be extremely partner of APC, discovers, develops and ¤16m study ‘SOPHIA’ to better understand active in the race to understand and markets probiotics (live bacteria), which can obesity and optimise future treatments. mitigate COVID-19. The director of CRF-C, improve gut health in animals and humans. professor Joe Eustace was nominated by the CoMH researchers were successful in 3 Minister of Health to be the National Chief I’d like to congratulate Professor Chris Lynch, separate H2020 funding initiatives. APC investigator for the WHO Solidarity Clinical professor and consultant in Restorative Microbiome Ireland researchers Dr Gerard Trial in Ireland, with the Department of Health Dentistry who is a recipient of Ireland’s Clarke and Professor John F. Cryan, recently being the sponsor of this Trial. The School inaugural Teaching and learning Research attracted key H2020 funding on gut health, of Public Health, APC Microbiome Ireland in Fellowships. This is one of Ireland’s most partnering with European researchers and partnership with Teagasc, and INFANT have prestigious national individual teaching SME’s on a grant with an overall value of been successful in securing almost ¤700,000 and learning awards in higher education. ¤6m. Magnet4Europe awarded a ¤4m grant in funding in 3 separate projects under the Congratulations to PhD student Mark to support the international partnership of government’s Rapid Response programme. O’Sullivan winner of the Enterprise Ireland some of the world’s leading universities and Dear alumni, Our clinical research facility in Cork (CRF-C) 2020 student entrepreneurship Award the school of Nursing and Midwifery at CoMH has been a vibrant hub of activity, supporting for his developments of a medical device are leading the Irish arm of this study led by It strikes me how much has changed since many COVID-19 related studies. While the for the early detection and monitoring of Prof Jonathan Drennan. Congratulations to the Spring edition of the newsletter. Ireland Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) are brain injuries in newborns. We wish Mark Dr Brendan Griffin, Dr Cormac Gahan and has moved from crisis mode in attempts to supporting Irish owned businesses deliver the very best of luck in marketing his Professor Caitriona O’Driscoll who have been ‘flatten the COVID-19 curve’ and lockdown, innovative solutions to healthcare in response innovative device. Congratulations to Dr successful in the evaluation stage of the to the government’s current roadmap to to COVID-19. Frances Shiely who received the HRB Trials Innovative Training Networks (ITNs) awarded reopen society and business. Our focus has Methodology Research Network SWAT under the H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie also shifted in line with this roadmap to a CoMH’s resilience and adaptability during award for the second year running. Professor Actions programme. gradual reopening. As a College, we are not this pandemic is testament to the calibre Denis O’Mahony who was ranked the top- just weathering the storm, we have pivoted to of its people. I want to thank you for your rated expert in inappropriate prescribing in I’d also like to congratulate all our students meet this unprecedented challenge. Working continued hard work and commitment. I the world and Professor Patricia Kearney who graduated in our virtual Conferring apart and online has made us reassess our also want to thank the central university who earned first place on the world Heart ceremonies. The Medical conferrings on April ways of working, forced us to think creatively continuity teams for their continued efforts. Federation Salim Yusef Emerging Leaders 17 saw a total of 197 graduates conferred – the and to become more comfortable with The Research Business Continuity Team have Programme. Congratulations to Professor first in UCC’s 175-year history to be conducted uncertainty. I’m very mindful that we must worked tirelessly to ensure that essential John Cryan who was profiled in ‘Science’ for entirely online. While 180 students were remain cautious in our approach as any CoMH research has resumed on campus, and an article on gut bacteria, and separately, conferred from across the College on 18 June change in the COVID-19 trajectory will impact the Campus Business Continuity Team who to a group of APC investigators on their as part of the virtual Summer conferrings. this reopening. are working to facilitate teaching and learning findings in the first microbiome study of Irish It is a true testament to your character in small groups. The safety of our staff and Travellers which have global implications and and resolve to have excelled during these COVID-19 has shone a light on just how crucial students has remained central to all our are published in the prestigious journal Nature unprecedented times. The entire university is partnerships are to progress health research decision-making. Medicine. proud of you and supports you and we wish for the benefit of all. In early June, I along you the very best in your careers. with the chief academic officers of the seven Outside of our COVID-19 response, our The College also had considerable success Irish Hospital Groups and their respective researchers and lecturers continue to show in securing and furthering research funding Until the Autumn edition of this newsletter, universities co-signed a letter detailing the exemplary success and expertise in their endeavours during this period. Dr Elaine stay safe. urgent need for a national research biobank fields. The news that the UCC spinout McCarthy, at INFANT, and Dr Martina Hayes, in Ireland. The letter describes how this company, PrecisionBiotics Group Ltd, was a Senior Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry, national resource is of vital importance for the acquired by the leading Danish bioinnovation have been awarded almost ¤500,000 in country’s capacity to test and validate any company Novozymes in a ¤80 million deal Health Research Board (HRB) funding under new antibody or other COVID-19 test on an is a tribute to the calibre of our colleagues in two postdoctoral training schemes. While, Irish population, as well as to facilitate other the APC and a great marker of the quality of APC Investigators, Dr Susan Joyce, Dr Orla Professor Helen Whelton essential healthcare research. research here in UCC. PrecisionBiotics Group O’Sullivan and Dr Harriet Schellekens, have Head of College of Medicine and Health Ltd., which has been a long-standing industry joined 28 other leading partners on a 5-year University College Cork Back to cover COVID-19 on the next page Back Forward 1 CoMH eNEWS COVID-19 Issue 37 | August 2020 LETTER TO GOVERNMENT Head of College Professor Helen Whelton co-signs letter on the urgency for a national research biobank In early June, Head of College Professor Helen CoMH COVID-19 Research Whelton and the chief academic officers of the seven Irish hospital groups and their respective universities co-signed a letter detailing the Page Now Live urgent need for a national research biobank in Ireland. The letter, which can be read in Our researchers continue to be extremely active in the race to understand and full HERE, describes how a national research mitigate Covid-19. This research is critical to inform the national and global response biobank is of vital importance for the country’s to the pandemic in the weeks and months ahead. capacity to test and validate any new antibody or other Covid-19 tests on an Irish population, Dr Ashleigh Byrne, Research and Innovation Coordinator, CoMH has created a as well as to facilitate other essential dedicated COVID-19 webpage. Please visit the page HERE to learn more about the healthcare research. research underway in the university beyond what is featured in this edition. Back to cover Rapid Response Research on the next page Back Forward 2 CoMH eNEWS Rapid Response Research and Innovation Funding Issue 37 | August 2020 The College of Medicine and Health has successfully secured funding for 3 projects to date under the government’s Rapid Response Research Development and Innovation programme established by the Health Research Board (HRB), Irish Research Council (IRC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), IDA Ireland (IDA) and Enterprise Ireland (EI). This is a national, coordinated research and innovation programme developed by the government’s research and innovation agencies to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Ivan Perry and team in the APC partner with Teagasc to lead Irish INFANT Project on Remote blood- School of Public Health Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium pressure monitoring in pregnancy Professor Ivan Perry, School of Public Health, Professor Paul Cotter of Teagasc and the Researchers at the INFANT Centre, led by received a significant HRB/IRC funding award APC Microbiome Ireland received one of the Professor Frédéric Adam and Dr Fergus of ¤199,945 for his project “Covid-19: Estimating first SFI/EI/IDA COVID-19 response awards of McCarthy, have been awarded ¤118,877 in SFI the burden of symptomatic disease in the ¤378,716 in funding for an Irish Coronavirus funding to carry out a study using remote, community and the impact of public health Sequencing Consortium.