Overview

The academic discipline of Clinical Microbiology was first established under the headship of Professor Conor Keane and has had its main base on the St James’s Hospital campus since the transfer of diagnostic Microbiology laboratory services and undergraduate teaching from the Federated Trinity Teaching Hospitals. 

The discipline is located in the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute at the St James’s Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital campuses. Professor Tom Rogers was Head of discipline from 2004 to 2021. Professor Stephen Smith joined the discipline in 2006 and was Head of the discipline from 2021 to 2022. Julie Renwick, Assistant Professor joined the discipline in 2016 and is the current Head of discipline. Johannes Wagener, Associate Professor and Consultant Microbiologist joined in 2020. The Discipline has a close working relationship with staff in each of the main teaching hospitals, who have honorary academic appointments with Trinity College. The discipline is responsible for delivering the medical undergraduate Microbiology teaching as part of the Laboratory Medicine curriculum. 

The discipline also delivers a full time/part-time postgraduate Master’s course in Healthcare Infection. 

The research conducted by academic staff is mainly translational and addresses a number of important challenges in infection relevant to both Irish and global healthcare. It offers research training leading to award of PhD, MD and MSc degrees.