Competition inspires students to focus on proficiency in specialised care of older patients

Posted on: 08 November 2023

Teams of under-graduate medical students from the medical schools in Ireland will compete for the Dr Jack Flanagan Medal in Gerontology

Trinity is set to host a unique intervarsity competition tomorrow evening  where teams of under-graduate medical students from the medical schools in Ireland will compete for the Dr Jack Flanagan Medal in Gerontology.Established In 2008 by the Dublin Ageing Research Network (DARN) the competition recognises Dr Flanagan’s ground-breaking contributions to geriatric medicine in Ireland. Students from University of Limerick, University College Cork, University of Galway, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College Dublin, Trinity College and Queens University Belfast will take part. For the first time in the history of this competition, Ulster University will be represented with an academic on the judging panel.

The objective of the annual competition is to foster interest in geriatric medicine and inspire medical students to become more proficient in the specialised care of older patients.

At the competition, each team will receive an unseen case study to review, with 60 minutes to formulate a diagnosis and a comprehensive care plan for the patient. Teams will present their findings in a concise presentation and undergo questioning by a panel of judges from the field of medical gerontology. Teams will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate a knowledgeable and holistic approach to assessing and managing the case.

Prof. Roman Romero-Ortuno, Head of the Discipline of Medical Gerontology, School of Medicine, described the importance of the competition:

"In a time where the challenges and opportunities of ageing are more evident than ever, it is crucial to robustly train and inspire upcoming generations of medical students in the specialised care of older adults. Following the success of our students at last year’s competition hosted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), I am thrilled that Trinity is hosting this prestigious annual intervarsity competition this year. My heartfelt best wishes go out to the final medical teams representing RCSI, University College Dublin, University of Limerick, University of Galway, University College Cork, Queen’s University Belfast, and our own Trinity team! Equally, I am excited to announce the University of Ulster's inaugural participation in this competition, providing a judge for the event."

 

Trinity Final Meds, Rachel Coomey, Claire Doherty, Jin Zhe and Charlie Eddershaw were the 2022 Jack Flanagan Intervarsity Competition winners

Dr Jack Flanagan (1919-2010), Ireland’s first geriatrician, was the first Irish doctor to specialise in caring for older people and pioneered modern day geriatric medicine.   

Trinity College Dublin, home to the winners of last year’s competition, will be hosting this year's event. Everyone is welcome to attend.

List of previous winners: 2008 Trinity / 2009 RCSI/ 2010 Trinity /2011 NUI Galway/ 2012 UCD/ / 2013 RCSI/ 2014 UCC/ 2015 UCD /2016 NUI Galway /2017 RCSI /2018 Trinity /2019 Trinity

2020-the competition did not take place/ 2021 RCSI /2022 Trinity

EVENT INFORMATION

When: Thursday, November 9th 2023, refreshments from 5pm

Where: Stanley Quek Hall, School of Medicine, Level B1, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152 to 160 Pearse Street, Dublin 2

 

Media Contact:

Ciara O’Shea | Media Relations | coshea9@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 4204