MORE THAN 16,000 ALUMNI WORLDWIDE RCSI rcsi.ie/alumni ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2017 INSTRUMENTS OF CHANGE Technology and the future of healthcare RCSI ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2017 RCSI ALUMNI IMPACT ALUMNI GATHERINGS RCSI Alumni 2017 RCSIAlumni GOOD TIMES, AGAIN @RCSIAlumni KEEP IN TOUCH EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN SURGERY MEDICINE PHARMACY PHYSIOTHERAPY NURSING & MIDWIFERY RESEARCH LEADERSHIP POSTGRADUATE STUDIES RADIOLOGY DENTISTRY SPORTS & EXERCISE MEDICINE PAST, PRESENT, 3 3 7, 0 0 0 €Over the past 12 months RCSI alumni donated €337,000 to support student FUTURE programmes across the College. THANK YOU 43Students had an unforgettable experience thanks to the generosity ALUMNI of alumni. EDUCATIONAL STUDENT HARDSHIP This fund is a much needed life-line for students PROGRAMMES who find themselves in unforeseen financial CLINICAL ELECTIVES difficulty during their studies. Gifts from alumni students were given the opportunity to enrich over the last year have ensured that these their training by gaining valuable experience students have been able to continue their 18 in teaching hospitals worldwide. studies at RCSI. RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS SUMMER SCHOOL students were awarded What do you want for the future of RCSI? students were able to participate scholarships in 2016 in the summer school which thanks to alumni gifts. Leaving a legacy to RCSI, after providing for your family and friends, is the highest honour alumni can 8 8provides the opportunity to work RCSI’s scholarship programme bestow on the College. For many who have done so, it was their way of remembering their time at the alongside Principal Investigators and supports the best and brightest College and the opportunities that it brought them. gain valuable insights into medical students beginning their career research. David Birnbach, Class of 1984 - “It is my way of saying thank you for being given the chance to study in healthcare. medicine in Dublin. RCSI gave me so many wonderful opportunities, and I’m happy to help someone else share this same experience.” Your gift can create opportunities too. And there’s more… In 2016 alone alumni raised funds for a further 5 new scholarships! If you would like further information on legacy gifts you can call Aíne Gibbons on +353 (0)14028548 or email [email protected]. If you would like to come and meet in person, Aíne would be delighted If you would like to support student programmes at RCSI you can do so by visiting donate.rcsi.ie. to talk to you. If you are a donor from the USA visit friendsofrcsi.com. OR call Paul in the alumni office on+353 (0) 1 402 2729, he would be delighted to hear from you. RCSI DEVELOPING HEALTHCARE LEADERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WORLDWIDE WELCOME LETTER TO ALUMNI Welcome to the 2017 issue of the RCSI Alumni Magazine. With more than 16,000 alumni in 97 countries worldwide, the readership reflects a graduate network that is international, influential and diverse. We know there is a sincere desire among alumni to play a constructive role in the future of the College and we encourage you to remain in touch with RCSI and maintain Aíne Gibbons. your links, professional and personal, with ALAN ROWLETTE this global network. The theme of this issue is Leading and Learning – appropriate given RCSI’s transformational strategy for the next decade. Many of our graduates make a significant impact in the surgical and healthcare field both at home and on the global stage: this international community is recognised as a “most global network” and in the top 250 educational institutions globally. Our aim is to rise in these rankings. In the pages that follow, alumni who attended RCSI at our four international campuses in Bahrain, Malaysia, Dubai and Ireland, demonstrate the value of the education earned. Many responded to our call to 2016’s alumni survey. We greatly delighted in the affinity that alumni have expressed for their alma mater – some of the memories are shared in Asking our Alumni (page 6), and others got in touch with career news and highlights in The Great & The Good (page 12). With the RCSI alumni network gathering momentum, please ALUMNI HUNT consider attending one of the events or reunions on our programme To coincide with the publication of this issue, we for 2017-2018 or just link in with us – visit rcsi.ie/alumni for details. have appointed teams representing graduates We are working to enrich the RCSI alumni experience by providing from each decade consisting of alumni, staff and students to find as many “lost” alumni as more opportunities for alumni to gather, for meaningful networking possible via a list of missing alumni published on as well as to revisit friendships forged at RCSI. the RCSI website. Your help with this is greatly appreciated. Please visit rcsi.ie/alumnihunt to AÍNE GIBBONS share your details and any contact information DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT – ALUMNI RELATIONS, you have regarding fellow alumni. FELLOWS & MEMBERS 01 CONTENTS 16 TOGETHER AGAIN Alumni return for reunions 56 A LIFE’S WORK Dr Jack Preger, street medicine pioneer 26 OPERATION SIMULATION The wonder of new- gen simulation 12 THE GREAT 34 JOIN THE CLUB & THE GOOD Sports at RCSI Meet Dr Tony Walsh IN THIS ISSUE and others 03 DOING THE ROUNDS 22 POWER OF TWO 41 COMING FULL CIRCLE News, happenings and College Alumni Kevin and Iroshini Chua, RCSI is offering international career updates the power couple in medicine opportunities: Alumnus Professor in Singapore Azar Salleh on living and working in Malaysia 06 ASKING ALUMNI Alumni look back fondly on their 26 OPERATION life and times at RCSI SIMULATION 42 EVENTS AT RCSI Surgical training via simulationrt 42-45 Conferring Ceremonies 2016 46-47 Alumni Reunions 2016 12 THE GREAT & 48 North American Alumni Gathering THE GOOD 30 RESEARCH 2016 49 House of Lords Reception, Talent and a love for what they do: AND DELIVER London 50 In Conversation With key attributes of alumni achievers RCSI research priorities and Felipe Contepomi and Niall Hogan their clinical impact 51 In Conversation With Katie Piper and Mr Sheraz Daya Association of 16 TOGETHER AGAIN 52 Medical & Dental Graduates’ Annual With milestone reunions on the 32 TARGET Dinner; Festival of Culture Ten horizon in 2017, we track graduates EPILEPSY 53 Years of Graduate Entry Medicine over the decades A new discovery may lead to a (GEM); Physiotherapy Reunion 2016; disease-modifying drug Ten Year Pharmacy Reunion; Ten Year 18 KEEPING IT IN Post Graduate Reunion 54 Global THE FAMILY 34 JOIN THE CLUB Receptions in Dubai, Washington, The Eustace family and a history Not every moment is spent in Hong Kong, Singapore and Penang of mental healthcare the library … 55 Asia Reunions 21 TIME IS BRAIN 37 CLASS CALL 56 A LIFE’S WORK A new stroke procedure heralds Alumni check in from all The story of Dr Jack Preger better outcomes for patients over the world (Class of 1971) RCSI ALUMNI MAGAZINE is published annually by the Royal College OUR HERITAGE of Surgeons in Ireland. Issues are available online at rcsi.ie/alumni. RCSI was founded by Royal Charter Your comments, ideas, updates and letters are welcome. Please contact in 1784 as the national training and Sonja Lee, Alumni Relations Manager at RCSI, 123 St Stephen’s Green, professional body for surgery. The Dublin 2; telephone: +353 (0) 1 402 5187; email: [email protected]. College flourished from the very start RCSI ALUMNI MAGAZINE is POSTED ANNUALLY to alumni who we have and in 1810 moved to its present ON OUR COVER listed on our database. To ensure you receive a copy, please PROVIDE location on St Stephen’s Green. In 1978, A student tries out the RCSI VR YOUR CURRENT CONTACT DETAILS at www.rcsi.ie/alumni. RCSI ALUMNI RCSI became a recognised College of (Virtual Reality) Medical Training Sim app MAGAZINE is produced by Gloss Publications Ltd, The Courtyard, 40 Main at RCSI’s National Surgical the National University of Ireland and in Training Centre in Dublin. Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Copyright Gloss Publications. RCSI Editorial 2010, RCSI was granted by the State, Photograph by Maxwells/Julien Behal Board: Aíne Gibbons, Sonja Lee, Louise Loughran and Jane Butler. the power to award its own degrees. 02 RCSI NEWS DOING THE ROUNDS COLLEGE NEWS, ALUMNI UPDATES, RCSI IN THE COMMUNITY AND ACROSS CAMPUS … Spotlight Dr Aran Maree, (Medicine 1993) flew in from the US for Charter Day 2017 to deliver the Johnson & Johnson Lecture, entitled “Prevent, Intercept and Cure: Our Call to Develop Healthcare Solutions for the Modern Age”. After graduating from RCSI, Dr Maree became a Member Local Dublin children get active of the Royal College of Physicians in at the annual REACH RCSI Ireland and trained in internal medicine Community Sports Day 2016. and interventional cardiology in Dublin, Ireland and Sydney, Australia. He is now RCSI in Top 2% in World in THE University Rankings Chief Medical Officer of the Medical RCSI has significantly improved its position in the 2016-2017 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Devices (MD) family of companies at J&J, Rankings. RCSI is now ranked in the #201-250 category, moving up from its 2015-2016 ranking of #251-300. based in New Jersey, USA. In his capacity as Chief Medical Officer, he is a Member of the global Medical Device Group HANDS ON Operating Committee and leads the MD RCSI recently became the first higher education institution in the world to Medical Safety organisation. He also has responsibility for the cross sector J&J release a fully interactive virtual reality medical training simulator on the paediatric development strategy (CHILD) publicly available Oculus platform, furthering the College's commitment to team. Aran has more than 20 years’ exploring new technologies to enhance education.