On 1^st October 2020, Ms. Alana Cutliffe commenced an MSc by Research on a project entitled “Acid-stimulated Ca²⁺ Signals as a Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Oesophageal Cancer”, supervised by Dr. John Mackrill of the Department of Physiology and co-supervised by Dr. Sharon McKenna, of Cork Cancer Research Centre, UCC.

The UF Breathing Research and Therapeutics (BREATHE) Centre organised and facilitated the Control of Breathing and Airway Defense (CoBAD) International Online Seminar Series. The virtual seminar series covered key elements of control of breathing and airway defence, including rhythm generation, chemoreception, neuromodulation, plasticity, opioid depression, inflammation, sleep apnoea, dysphagia, and breathing with neuromuscular disease.

Congratulations to Ms Aoife Slyne (BSc Physiology class of 2020) on receiving a Lilly Research Scholarship. Aoife will join the Department of Physiology at University College Cork in October 2020 to pursue doctoral training under the supervision of Dr David Burns and Professor Ken O’Halloran.

Congratulations to Dr Karen O’Connor on the publication of her topical review in The Journal of Physiology, which was accompanied by artwork published on the journal cover this month.

PhD trainee Sara AlMarabeh was nominated to give an oral presentation at Experimental Biology, San Diego, 2020 during a special session of the APS Neural Control & Autonomic Regulation Section to compete for the Predoctoral NCARnation award.

Dr Patrick (Paddy) Harrison will co-chair the 6th Annual Dublin Cystinosis Workshop on Thursday 16th July 2020.

https://cystinosis.ie/research/dublin-cystinosis-workshop/6th-annual-dublin-cystinosis-workshop-2020-agenda/

Congratulations to Ms Aoife Slyne, BSc Physiology Class of 2020, who received The Rob Clarke Abstract and Presentation Award from The Physiological Society.

Lauren Noonan and Aoife Slyne, BSc Physiology Class of 2020, presented data from their undergraduate research projects, this week at Future Physiology 2020, a meeting of The Physiological Society.

Congratulations to Dr. David Burns, Department of Physiology, for receiving the Charlemont Grant from the Royal Irish Academy.

The I WISH (Inspiring Women in Stem) conference took place at Cork City Hall, 30^th & 31^st January, 2020. 

L-R: Ms Sarah Drummond (Senior Technical Officer), Mr Jack Leacy (Lecturer), Micheál Martin (TD), David Burns (Lecturer) and Dr. Eric Lucking (Senior Technical Officer).

Dr. Fiona McDonald’s research features on the cover of this month’s Experimental Physiology.

Professor Ken O’Halloran delivered a keynote lecture at the 5^th Annual INFANT Research Day which was held at the UCC Centre for Executive Education Lapps Quay on December 12^th.

PhD trainees Ms. Sarah Drummond and Mr. Jack Leacy represented the Department of Physiology by way of 2 oral communications at the New Horizons in Medical Research Conference, 5^th December 2019.

In October, Professor Ken O’Halloran joined colleagues Dr Rossana Henriques (UCC School of BEES) and Dr Cormac Gahan (UCC School of Microbiology and School of Pharmacy) to deliver a lunchtime seminar to celebrate the Glucksman exhibition on Circadian Rhythms: Contemporary Art and Biological Time.

In July, Professor Ken O’Halloran was appointed as a Senior Editor of The Journal of Physiology, the leading journal in the field.