Season's Greetings

Professor Paul Browne, Head of the School of Medicine, would like to wish all our colleagues and students a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

Inaugural Lecture of Professor Seamas Donnelly

The Faculty of Health Sciences hosted the inaugural lecture of Professor Seamas Donnelly, School of Medicine, "Trinity, Education, Academia and Mentorship - My TEAM Philosophy", on Thursday 15th December 2016 in the Trinity Centre, Tallaght Hospital. To see more images visit the Faculty of Health Sciences website»

Trinity and St James's Hospital Announce Plans for New Cancer Institute

The intention to develop a new Cancer Institute was jointly announced by Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital at the launch of Cancer Week Ireland and on the first day of the 10^th International Cancer Conference hosted by Trinity on 17^th October. The first of its kind in Ireland, the new cancer institute will set a new standard for cancer care nationally. Read more»

Celebrating 10 Years of TILDA

From heart conditions to caring for grandchildren and from undiagnosed diabetes to the power of positive thought, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) has spent a decade understanding Ireland's older generation. In September, 600 of the TILDA 8500 participants attended a special celebratory event, at which researchers and participants considered the critical impact this research continues to have on the lives of older people. Read more»

6th Annual TCD Surgical Case Competition

The Trinity Surgical Society hosted the 6th Annual Surgical Case competition at St. James’s Hospital on the 25th January 2017. The competition saw 7 students across all clinical years present interesting surgical cases in front of a tough panel of consultant judges from St. James’s Hospital and AMNCH. A wide variety of topics in clinical surgery featured on the night, with fascinating cases from Upper Gastrointestinal, Colorectal, Vascular, Orthopaedic and Paediatric Surgery, to name a few. This year’s winner was 4th year student, Stephanie Rose (pictured with Professor John Reynolds, St. James’s Hopsital, Dublin), who presented a Maxillofacial Surgery case entitled: “Virtual Planning for Resection and Reconstruction: Ossifying Fibroma of the Mandible”. Patrick Collins was an extremely close runner-up, with a case discussing the challenges of reconstruction after abdominoperineal resection. Stephanie will go on to compete in the Intercollegiate Competition on the 8th of February at the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, on St. Stephen’s Green. Dublin. Trinity will be aiming for the hat-trick this year, as Stephanie follows previous TCD winners, Dr. Robert Fleck and Dr. Conor Toale. All are welcome to attend.

Public Health & Primary Care have Moved!

Public Health & Primary Care have moved into their new offices in the Institute of Population Health in Tallaght, together with colleagues from the School of Nursing and Midwifery. The Institute incorporates excellent teaching and social space for students. It has successfully accommodated an international meeting and a one-day national conference. We look forward to welcoming you here for the official opening event.

Public Health and Primary Care News & Events

The Irish National Register for Children with Down Syndrome (DS)

The National Register for children born with Down Syndrome (DS) in Ireland was established on January 1^st 2015 by Professor Edna Roche at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Dublin. This prospective National Register will advance our knowledge of DS and thereby enhance clinical care provided to this vulnerable group as currently data regarding DS in childhood and adolescence in Ireland is limited.

2016 Spike Milligan Public Speaking Competition

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) students have won the 2016 Spike Milligan Public Speaking Competition hosted by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland (CPsychI). Held at the Sugar Club, Dublin, teams from six medical schools competed. Two medical students Lia McCann from 4^th year and Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne from 5^th represented Trinity. Issues such as stigma, traveller rights, unemployment, and social codes of masculinity were all discussed on the on the night.

Hearing Voices: The History of Psychiatry in Ireland

Hearing Voices: The History of Psychiatry in Ireland by Professor Brendan Kelly was published by Irish Academic Press in November. This is the first history of psychiatry in Ireland from the earliest times to the present day, and is written by Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry in Trinity and Consultant Psychiatrist in Tallaght Hospital.

Exhibition of Works by Jason Ellis Old Anatomy

On 3 November Oliver Sears Gallery held a special viewing of the exhibition of works by Jason Ellis Old Anatomy. Having gained access to an extraordinary collection of plaster casts kept by the Department of Anatomy, Jason Ellis has chosen a number of items and remade them using varieties of limestone, marble, slate and sandstone. During a special viewing for the medical alumni Clive Lee, Professor of Anatomy in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Royal Hibernian Academy and Visiting Professor of Biomechanics in Trinity College Dublin gave a talk on “Art and Anatomy”.

Irish Radiation Research Society (IRRS)

Dr Laure Marignol recently organised and hosted the Irish Radiation Research Society (IRRS) Scientific meeting at Trinity on November 11^th and 12^th. The well attended conference attracted scientists and clinicians from Ireland and Northern Ireland. The event was sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, Oncology Systems Limited, X-strahl and Research and Markets. Dr. Marignol has also recently been appointed Secretary for IRRS.

The Irish Helicobacter Pylori Working Group (IHpWG)

The Irish Helicobacter pylori working Group (IHpWG) has released the consensus for diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. The guideline is now available as a handy folding card that every GP can keep in his/her wallet. The working group are about to launch an app called H.pylori-Care that is the electronic version of the above mentioned card. The app will be available on playstore shortly.

TAGG Welcomes Dr Anthony O'Connor

The Trinity Academic Gastroenterolgy Group (TAGG) welcomes its new member Dr Anthony O'Connor former Consultant Gastroenterologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He returned to Ireland in 2016 to an appointment as Consultant Gastroenterologist at Tallaght Hospital.

Dr Mary Hussey Wins Second Prize for Research on CCE

During the ISG Meeting Event 2016, Dr Mary Hussey won the second prize for her research on the role and feasibility of Colon Capsule Endoscopy (CCE) on patients with incomplete colonoscopies. During the meeting it was highlighted how CCE can reduce diagnostic delays and relieve the burden on other services such as radiology and endoscopy services.

Annual SIOG Conference, November 17^th-19^th-2016

There were a number of Trinity posters and presentations at the recent annual conference of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), including a presentation by Assistant Professor, Anita O'Donovan (Discipline of Radiation Therapy) on the impact of radiation toxicity on quality of life in older cancer patients, as well as a recent graduate poster presentation: “Behavioural and Psychological Outcomes of Cancer Survivors in Ireland: Results from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA)”.

Health and Social Care Professions Council (HSCPC) meeting Nov 2016

Recent Radiation Therapy graduate Sandra Wall, presented her final year thesis at the November 16^th Health and Social Care Professions Council (HSCPC) meeting in Dublin.

EMSSI SimMan Workshop

The Emergency Medicine Student Society Ireland held an exciting SimMan Workshop on 23^rd November at the Clinical Skills Centre St James's Hospital. Pre-clinical students had the opportunity to learn core basic life support and airway management skills and participate in some realistic emergency scenarios led by an A&E Registrar and clinical skills tutors.

CTOS Annual Meeting Lisbon

Meagan Wiebe, a final year medical student, was accepted to present her Intercalated MSc research at the Connective Tissue Oncology Society 2016 Annual Meeting in Lisbon in November 2016. Her thesis entitled "National Treatment Patterns of Retroperitoneal Sarcoma in Ireland" was completed under the supervision of Professor Ridgway in the Department of Surgery at Tallaght Hospital.

Advances in Personalised Care the Focus of 10^th International Cancer Conference

Trinity College Dublin hosted the 2016 International Cancer Conference, with the theme “New Frontiers in Personalised Cancer Care”. The conference, held in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, was opened by Trinity Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast and RTÉ Northern Editor and cancer survivor, Mr Tommie Gorman. Read more»

2016 Burkitt Medal for Contribution to Cancer Research

Dr Paul Brennan, Head of the Genetics Section of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, was awarded the 2016 Burkitt Medal for his contribution to cancer research. Dr Brennan received the medal during the 10^th International Cancer Conference, which was recently held in Trinity College Dublin under the theme “New Frontiers in Personalised Cancer Care”. Read more»

Leading Epileptologist Gives 2016 John Kirker Memorial Lecture

The 2016 John Kirker Memorial Lecture, named in honour of the pioneering epileptologist and Trinity College Dublin graduate Dr John Kirker, was delivered earlier this month by Dr Sydney Cash, Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and attending epileptologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Read more»

Alumni Weekend 2016

The Trinity Alumni Weekend 2016 attracted about 200 medical graduates from around the world. Apart from class gatherings to reminisce and reconnect and a celebratory banquet, there was a medical alumni symposium to share medical and scientific expertise as well as best practices. Chaired by Dr Tom Farrell, Senior Lecturer in Anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the symposium featured a keynote lecture “Memory: Beyond the Brain” by Dr Áine Kelly, Associate Professor, School of Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and a number of thought-provoking talks on public health, cancer and such important issues as equality in the medical profession.

Well done, Sinéad!

Congratulations to former student Sinéad Lynch (née Jennings) M.B. (2009), who, together with her rowing partner Claire Lambe, reached the finals at women's lightweight double sculls at Rio Olympics!

Memorial Service for Ian Temperley

On 14 October a memorial service was held in Trinity Chapel for Ian Temperley, MA, MD 1953, MLitt, FRCPI, FRCPath, FTCD. Alumni and faculty gathered to pay tribute to Professor Temperley.

Adam Dyer Awarded the Dr. John Fleetwood Medal in Gerontology

Adam Dyer, a final year medical student in Trinity was awarded the Dr. John Fleetwood Medal in Gerontology at the recent Irish Gerontological Society Meeting (IGS) in Killarney (October 2016). The medal was awarded for research on cognitive impairment conducted in the Emergency Department in Tallaght Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Sean Kennelly

Dr. Barry McMahon Receives Distinguished Scholar Award from the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Dr. Barry McMahon, Director of the Innovation academy and Co-Founder of TAGG Research Centre has received a Distinguished Scholar Award from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and will travel there in December to give a number of talks and attend events.

Dr. Cliona Ni Cheallaigh awarded the Irish Healthcare Award: Best research paper – November 2016

At an award ceremony in Dublin on 10^th November 2016, Dr Cliona Ni Cheallaigh received the Irish Healthcare Award : Best Research Paper. The paper published in the Journal of Immunity, Volume 44, Issue 2, 16^th February 2016, Pages 368-379, “A Common Variant in the Adaptor Mal Regulates Interferon Gamma Signaling” , addresses the question of why different people all seemed to respond differently to the tuberculosis bacteria.

Vitamin D Status of Dublin's Inhabitants

Dr Eamon Laird and fellow researchers developed a visual map showing the Vitamin D status of Dublin's inhabitants. It shows considerable variations in vitamin D deficiency among people living in certain geographic and urban locations within the greater Dublin region - some areas show five times higher rates of deficiency than others.

Dr Tara Rafferty wins best paper award from United European Gastroenterology (UEG) – October 2016

Dr Tara Rafferty was presented with an award for the best research paper at the opening ceremony of United European Gastroenterology Week in Vienna in October 2016 for a paper published in the United European Gastroenterology Journal June 2015 vol. 3 no. 3 294-302, entitled “Effects of vitamin D supplementation on intestinal permeability, cathelicidin and disease markers in Crohn's disease: Results from a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study”.

Professor Alan Irvine Leads Study to Improve Understanding of the Origins of Eczema – October 2016

The study led by Professor of Dermatology Alan Irvine, Trinity College, is the first study that has followed babies at several time points in their first year of life and examined the bacterial communities of their skin at this early stage. This collaborative work funded by the National Children's Research Centre, involved researchers from Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Dundee and the National Institutes of Health.

Network of Accredited Skills Centres in Europe (NASCE) Hosted in TBSI

Professor Paul Ridgway, Ms Amy Gillis and Ms Marie Morris hosted the 2nd Scientific Meeting of the Network of Accredited Skills Centres in Europe - NASCE in TBSI on 7^th and 8^th October 2016. The Theme of the Conference was " Defining Competence - Bridging the Theory Practice Gap". The event was well attended by delegates from across Europe. The Conference programme and presentations are available on nascenet.org

Annual Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy (IIRRT) October 2016

There were a number of Trinity student and staff presentations at the recent annual Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy (IIRRT) conference in Dublin (8th October 2016), including oral presentations from Associate Professor, Michelle Leech, and recent graduates Andrea Lipsett, Cliodhna O'Donoghue and Edel Ryan (IIRRT research bursary recipient). Claire Turner was presented with the Olive Fleming medal in recognition of her undergraduate clinical practice, while Denise Dunne received the best poster award. Graduates are pictured here with Discipline of Radiation Therapy external lecturer and patient advocate, Roisin Whelan.

Trinity and St James's Hospital Team at 2016 UNIPHAR C.R.O.S.S. Atlantic Cycle for Cancer Research

A team from Trinity and St James's Hospital got on their bikes to join the UNIPHAR C.R.O.S.S. Atlantic Cycle in support of cancer research at Trinity and St James's. Held 4-8 September, the 2016 cycle was a 5-day 580-km affair through Dingle, Lahinch, Galway, Clifden & Westport. For more information please visit www.crossrugbylegends.com.

Professor Cliona O'Farrelly Leads New Study to Discover how “Super” Immune System can Prevent Hepatitis C – September 2016

Professor O'Farrelly and her team will look at the information stored within the genes of naturally resistant people. The team will then compare it to the information from the genes of people who are unable to resist infection. If they uncover the mechanism behind the mystery of natural HCV-resistance, they can exploit this knowledge to find new ways to make vaccines and anti-viral drugs. The project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland.

Faculty of Radiologists Meeting 2016

There were a number of Radiation Therapy student posters and oral presentations at the Faculty of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting at the RCSI, Dublin in September. Jelizaveta Cvetkova, pictured here (far left) with Professor Vincent Gregoire, received the Junior Prize for her presentation on palliative radiotherapy, while Lisa McGrane also presented her thesis findings.

Dr Laure Marignol Wins the SFI Award

The School of Medicine wishes to congratulate Dr Laure Marignol, Discipline of Radiation Therapy, on being awarded a Science Foundation Ireland Technology Innovation Development Award (TIDA) 2016 for a project entitled Developing a companion diAgnostic teSt for radiotheraPy prostAte canceR patients (CASPAR). This project will assess a novel protein for its prognostic and therapeutic potential in high risk radiotherapy prostate cancer patients. The long-term focus of CASPAR is to develop a novel companion diagnostic test and therapeutic combination that can allow personalized prescription of radiotherapy for these patients.

International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) 2017 Advanced Course - Treviso, Italy

Assistant Professor, Anita O'Donovan, Discipline of Radiation Therapy, has recently been appointed to the faculty of the 2017 SIOG Advanced Course in Geriatric Oncology:

SOIG course programme and faculty

Agnella Craig gets Visiting Professor's Award

Assistant Professor Agnella Craig's application for a Visiting Professor's Award to support the visit of a Radiation Oncology expert from the renowned Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKl-AVL) was successful. Peter Remeijer will visit in December 2016, and participate in a number of events both within the Discipline of Radiation Therapy and in the greater Radiation Oncology community. Dr. Remeijer's research interests lie in minimising geometric uncertainty during radiotherapy, image guidance and adaptive radiotherapy.

Health and Social Care Professions Council (HSCPC) meeting Nov 2016

Recent Radiation Therapy graduate Sandra Wall, presented her final year thesis at the November 16^th Health and Social Care Professions Council (HSCPC) meeting in Dublin.

School of Medicine Student Stephen Flannery Wins the Inaugural National Orthopaedic Literary Award (NOLA)

Trinity student Stephen Flannery will be awarded the NOLA prize by the Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery. The top three shortlisted stories were adjudicated by Roddy Doyle. Third place was also awarded to Trinity College student, Ivan Dudurych.

Visit from the Aga Khan University

The Discipline of Radiation Therapy welcomed a familiar face recently. Dr Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi, who previously lectured on the undergraduate programme for Radiation Therapists while working in St Luke's Hospital, stopped by the Discipline of Radiation Therapy when he was visiting Ireland. Dr. Abbasi is now Associate Professor and Chief Radiation Oncologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan.

The Wellcome – HRB Clinical Research Facility... 3 Years On

The Wellcome - HRB Clinical Research Facility opened to its first patient on 23 October 2013, and since then activity has been increasing year on year. The CRF supports a wide variety of clinical studies – Investigator led clinical research, clinical trials and experimental medicine; early phase clinical trials and experimental medicine and industry sponsored clinical trials.

Dr. Geraldine Foley Presents Paper at 2016 BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference

Dr. Geraldine Foley, Assistant Professor (Occupational Therapy), presented a research paper at the 2016 BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, in Birmingham, UK, titled 'Control and surrender in human services interaction: the relational contexts of living with motor neurone disease'.

Read more»

The 3^rd Translational Paediatrics and Child Health Forum

The 3^rd Translational Paediatrics and Child Health Forum took place on Friday 25^th November at 9.30am in the William Stokes Postgraduate Centre, St. James's Hospital. Prof Eleanor Molloy was the chair and also spoke on the day about the upcoming TriCC facility. There were also guest lectures presented by Prof Maureen O'Sullivan and Dr Andy Hogan of the National Childrens Research Center.

Fundraising Run

Researchers from the Department of Histopathology and Discipline of Physiotherapy completed the November run in the Phoenix Park, raising €591. The group are working on ExPeCT, a randomised control trial examining the effect of exercise on circulating tumour cells in men with prostate cancer. ExPeCT is funded by the World Cancer research fund and is recruiting patients from 5 Irish Hospitals.

Largest study of its kind in Ireland found link between daily dairy consumption and levels of a range of vitamins in older adults.

The study led by Trinity College Dublin which involved over 4,300 people from the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) ageing cohort, found that only 3.5% of those studied were consuming three or more servings of dairy per day. The study was recently referred to in an article in the Independent. Read more»

Physiology postdoctoral researcher wins Early Career Award

Dr. Sinéad Ryan, a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Áine Kelly in the Department of Physiology, was awarded the Barcroft Early Career Award at the 2016 annual meeting of the Biomedical Sciences Section of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland. Further information available on the Physiology website

Professor M. Lynch awarded SFI grant

Prof. Lynch, Dept of Physiology, has been awarded €1.38 million by Science Foundation Ireland for the 4 year research project "Targeting glial plasticity to alleviate age-related loss of neuronal function in Alzheimer's disease". Further information available on the Physiology website

TBSI image competition - 1^st place for Physiology post grad.

"Maria Velasco, Physiology PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Kumlesh K.Dev won the 1^st Prize in the TBSI Imagery competition 2016 with her image "Cerebellar neuron-glia network". The whole story can be found here

Amber Image Competition – 3^rd Place for Physiology Postgrad

Sibylle Bechet, Dept of Physiology, wins the 3^rd place of the AMBER image competition. The fluorescent image was generated using confocal microscopy. It depicts the complex interplay of glial and neuronal cells in the cerebellum of a mouse.

Physiology Friday

The Department of Physiology celebrated Physiology Friday in October 2016, an international outreach event funded by the Physiological Society. Departmental staff and students showcased the Department by demonstrating research equipment, presenting research blitzes and partaking in a biobakes competition. Visitors on the day, among many, included enthusiastic 6^th class students from Our Lady of Lourdes, Goldenbridge, Inchicore.

Best Poster Presentation at the Irish Thoracic Society Scientific Meeting 2016

Dr Denise Triglia van Nierop, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, supervised by Dr Mary O'Sullivan in collaboration with Prof Joseph Keane, won the prize for best poster presentation at the Irish Thoracic Society Scientific Meeting 2016 for her poster entitled "Manipulation of Metabolism Improves Migration of Human Primary Myeloid Dendritic Cells Infected with BCG." This work is funded by HRB.

Student Guidelines for Ethical Fieldwork Overseas

Developed in response to the lack of clear guidelines for students across Irish third-level institutions engaging in overseas work "Student Guidelines for Ethical Fieldwork Overseas" aims to fill this void by providing a practical reference tool. The initiative was lead by students Bianca van Bavel, Brynne Gilmore (Centre for Global Health) and Olivia Wilkinson (Irish School of Ecumenics) and was supported by the Irish Forum for Global Health and the Development Studies Association of Ireland.

Cancer Cachexia & Malnutrition Research Workshop

In May 2016, Professor Declan Walsh, Joint Fottrell Chair in Palliative Medicine, Trinity and UCD hosted a “Cancer Cachexia & Malnutrition Research Workshop” at the Irish Cancer Society Headquarters. Co-ordinated by Dr Niamh O'Donoghue, Research Fellow in Clinical Medicine, it brought together multidisciplinary experts from Ireland and abroad to focus on current research, controversies and future strategies.