10 things to know about... presenter Kathriona Devereux chats with Professor John Cryan, Vice President for Research and Innovation UCC, profiling his research together with former postdoc and now Lecturer in Pharmacology/Pharmacy Dr. Jatin Nagpal which aims to understand exactly how microbes in the gut could be shaping our moods and behaviour.

Congratulations to Dr Harriët Schellekens Principal Investigator and Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience who has been awarded the APC Industry & Entrepreneurship Award 2021/2022 at the annual APC Symposium 2022, held on 7^th of October 2022 in the Devere Hall, University College Cork.

Following the very successful completion of the new BSc Medical and Health Sciences degree by the first class of students, Professor Aideen Sullivan, BSc Medical and Health Sciences Programme Developer and Academic Director, and Dr Louise Collins, Academic Coordinator, BSc Medical and Health Sciences, and a team of undergraduate MHS students had a very busy day in Brookfield Health Sciences Building meeting with secondary school students and their families at the BSc Medical and Health Sciences stand at the recent UCC Undergraduate Open Day in October.

Dr Siobhain O'Mahony Director of BSc Neuroscience led a group of staff and student volunteers from the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience to host the very busy BSc Neuroscience stand at the UCC Open Day on October 8th 2022.

Congratulations to the BSc Neuroscience class of 2022 who celebrated their BSc Neuroscience graduation on Friday 28th October 2022. The class took time from their celebrations to pose for a photograph with their former classmate Lauren Barrett.

Dr Andreea Factor lecturer in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience in an interdisciplinary team with colleagues from the Department of Engineering UCC have developed an innovative stethoscope using artificial intelligence (AI) for the accurate detection of congenital heart disease in newborn babies.

Congratulations to the pioneering first BSc Medical and Health Science Graduates, who were conferred with their honours BSc degrees at the UCC Medicine and Health Conferring Ceremony on Friday 28^th October 2022. 

Congratulations to the MSc Human Anatomy class of 2022 who were conferred with their MSc degrees at the UCC Medicine and Health Conferring Ceremony on Friday 28^th October 2022. 

Congratulations to Dr. James Collins, who was conferred with a PhD (Medicine and Health) at the College of Medicine and Health Autumn conferring ceremony on the 28^th October 2022.

Congratulations to the Superheroes in the FLAME lab, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience led by Batman (Michael Cronin) who baked cakes and put on their Superhero outfits to raise funds for the Mercy Hospital Heroes Campaign which raises vital funds for the Mercy Kids & Teens Appeal.

An exciting research paper just published in Molecular Psychiatry-Nature by a team led by Professor John F. Cryan and Professor Ted Dinan shows that a diet high in prebiotic and fermented foods improved perceived stress in a healthy population.

Mr Tony Wilkinson, Chair of the Cork Parkinson’s Association, and Professor Aideen Sullivan, Head of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, met recently in UCC as a follow-up to the launch in September at the National Ploughing Championships of the collaborative research project to investigate the possible link between Parkinson’s and pesticide exposure on Irish farms. 

Professor Aideen Sullivan and Dr Lucy Collins Stack, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, in collaboration with the Cork Parkinson's Association, launched an exciting research project investigating the potential link between Parkinson's disease and pesticide exposure on Irish farms, at the National Ploughing Championships held in Ratheniska, Co Laois - September 20th, 21st and 22nd 2022.

Congratulations Professor Gerard O’Keeffe, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience who has been elected Fellow of the Anatomical Society, and has also been awarded the Anatomical Society New Fellow of the Year Award.

Congratulations to Dr Rebecca Henry lecturer in the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, who has been awarded the prestigious Royal Society-SFI University Research Fellowship.

Congratulations to Seán Ó Murchú, who was recently presented with the BioMarin Prize by Dr Rachel Furlong for achieving first place in the BSc Medical and Health Sciences graduating class of 2022. Seán was also presented the best final year project award, and amazingly was also the first student to complete a BSc Medical and Health Sciences viva while on a 6-day charity cycle!!

The Dean of the School of Medicine UCC, Professor Paula O’Leary, was invited speaker and presented the awards at the first BSc Medical and Health Sciences Awards Ceremony, which celebrated the first class of students to successfully complete this programme.

Congratulations to the first graduates of the new CK707 BSc Medical and Health Sciences, who will be conferred with their degrees at the College of Medicine and Health Conferring Ceremony on Friday 28th October 2022.

• Researchers at APC Microbiome Ireland have identified a drug that increases resilience to chronic stress.
• Major discovery could lead to more effective treatments for anxiety disorders and depression.

Congratulations to Dr Harriët Schellekens, Professor John Cryan, Dr Karen O’Connor, Professor Gerard Clarke and Ms Sinead Pierce, who’s joint project has been funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) as part of its Investigator-Led Projects (ILP) 2022 scheme.

We are saddened to announce the death of Mr Donal Harris, formerly of the Department of Anatomy on August 18th 2022. Donal was very well known and respected by his colleagues across the University and by the many generations of medical and dental students, and medical demonstrators, whom he encountered in his more than 30 years in the Department of Anatomy. In his work and his dealings with the families of the many anatomical donors to UCC, Donal will be remembered as a warm and supportive professional.

Congratulations to Ms Carrie O’Flynn, who was conferred with an MSc Human Anatomy at the UCC Medicine and Health conferring ceremony in June 2022.

Congratulations to Professor John Cryan who was awarded the prestigious 2022 Datta lecture and medal from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) at the IUBMB–FEBS–PABMB Global Biochemistry Summit held in Lisbon 9th-14th July 2022.

Congratulations to the UCC BSc Neuroscience Class 2022 who have completed their BSc Neuroscience degree and discussed their research projects with external examiner Dr Jo Neill at the BSc Neuroscience vivas which were held on Wednesday 25th May 2022.

The current special issue of Science 'The Systemic Microbiome'  features a commentary article by Professor John F. Cryan, VP for Research UCC, and Science Podcasts  follows up with a fascinating interview.

Congratulations to Dr Gerry Moloney, one of the five Senior Technical Officers to be promoted to Chief Technical Officer in the most recent UCC Chief Technical Officer promotional round.

Dr. Olivia O’Leary, Senior Lecturer in Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, and Funded Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland Research Institute, has been awarded research funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Frontiers for the Future Programme.  SFI Frontiers for the Future Programme funds highly innovative, collaborative research with the potential to deliver impact.

Congratulations to Ms Tara Foley, Senior Technical Officer in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience who was awarded an ‘Outstanding Colleague Award’ at the 2021 University Staff Recognition Awards Ceremony which was held on the 26^th April 2022.

Congratulations to Dr Harriët Schellekens who has been awarded BINC Foundation funding to explore the role of the gut microbiota in mediating the effects of early-life nutrition on neurodevelopment of appetite, food reward and food preference in adulthood.

Congratulations to the UCC Medical Research and Technology Society and the UCC Translational Medicine Society who together successfully hosted UCC’s first Life Sciences Careers Fair.

Congratulations to Dr Mutahria Lone, who was conferred with an MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the UCC College of Medicine and Health, Spring Conferring Ceremony on Wednesday 13th April 2022.

Congratulations to Dr Martina Mazzocchi, who was conferred with a PhD (Medicine) at the UCC College of Medicine and Health Spring Conferring Ceremony which took place in the Devere Hall on Wednesday 13^th April 2022. 

Congratulations to Ms Joan Omosefe Osayande, a fourth year BSc Medical and Health Sciences student who was the invited Keynote Speaker at the recent UCC Entrance Scholarship Awards Ceremony 2021/2022.

IWD 2022 campaign theme: #BreakTheBias, asks us to 'Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias'. 

Conference presentation: Alzheimer’s Research UK 2022 Conference. New research, which hasn’t yet been peer reviewed, presented at the Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference 2022 at the Brighton Centre, and profiled in the New York Post highlights newly identified links between gut bacteria, inflammation and brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Having premiered to a full house and received an ‘amazing reaction’ at the Lighthouse Cinema as part of the International Dublin Film Festival last Saturday February 26^th Rehan Ali's 'Water Under the Bridge' short film will have its World TV premier on Virgin Media One  at 11:00pm this Friday night 4th March 2022. 

We remember our colleague and friend Angela Marsh who passed away on Thursday 16th December 2021. Angela was a Senior Technical Officer in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience from the early 1970s until her retirement in 2006. She qualified as a Medical Laboratory Scientist and progressed to Fellowship level, specialising in Histology. 

Congratulations to Dr María Rodriguez Aburto who has recently been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant of €1.75m to support her research project RADIOGUT: Radial Glia as Neurodevelopmental Mediators of Gut Microbiota Signals.

The UCC Society of Translational Medicine hosted their annual ‘Narrowing the Void’ Conference on Thursday January 27^th 2022 as a Hybrid conference – in person in the Devere Hall, UCC, and simultaneously streamed live online via Whova™ conferencing software. This was the first Hybrid conference to be held in UCC!

When Covid 19 restrictions again caused the cancellation of the annual College of Medicine and Health Postgraduate Dinner, the CoMH Postgraduate Student Committee with the encouragement of the Vice Dean of Graduate studies Professor Yvonne Nolan, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, took the event outdoors and hosted an innovative Wellness Day to 'spread a little joy and give research students the opportunity to see each other in person before the Christmas break'.  

UCC President John O’Halloran welcomed Dr Eva Mc Mullan Project Leader, Professor Yvonne Nolan Research Supervisor, and members of the Rhythm family to the President's Office to launch the new MINdDS UCC Research Project Website.