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. 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. 

There has been increasing emphasis on the role of lifestyle factors in healthy aging. Now APC Microbiome Ireland together with King's College London have been awarded research funding to investigate how exercise impacts gut microbiota and brain health in middle age.

Professor John Cryan, Chair of Anatomy and Vice President for Research & Innovation, University College Cork commented in a tweet how it is 'Great to be back to in-Person conferrings' having attended the 2021 College of Medicine and Health Autumn Conferrings 'in person' on Friday 5th November to support his graduating PhD students.

Dr Olivia O’Leary, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and APC Microbiome Ireland Research Institute, has been awarded research funding from the Geneva-based BIOSTIME Institute Nutrition & Care (BINC) Foundation to explore the role of the maternal gut microbiome in increasing susceptibility of females to stress-related psychiatric disorders and associated brain changes. The project will be conducted with collaborator, Professor John F. Cryan, also of the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience and APC Microbiome Ireland.

Congratulations to Ms Patricia Flynn who has been awarded the prestigious Musgrave PhD Scholarship, in association with Breakthrough Cancer Research

Professor Gerard O’Keeffe and Dr Mutahira Lone wish to congratulate the MSc Human Anatomy Class of 2021 who recently presented their research projects and have successfully completed their MSc degrees in Human Anatomy. 

Congratulations to Professor Aideen M. Sullivan who was appointed Head of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience at University College Cork, in March 2021.