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News & Events
Third cohort of BSc Medical and Health Sciences graduate at recent College of Medicine and Health Conferring ceremony.

Congratulations to the BSc Medical and Health Sciences class of 2024 who graduated at the College of Medicine and Health conferring ceremony on Friday October 25th, 2024.
Conferred with their degrees by UCC President Professor John O’Halloran. Professor Helen Whelton, Head of the College of Medicine and Health delivered an address to the graduates and their guests. This third cohort of graduates marks a significant milestone, with each student embodying resilience, dedication and the spirit of innovation that defines the programme.
The BSc Medical and Health Sciences programme is an innovative interdisciplinary degree offered within the School of Medicine, providing students with a comprehensive education in translational medicine. Spanning four rigorous years, the programme combines foundational sciences with applied medical research, offering students in-depth training in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology and Public Health. Graduates emerge with the skills, knowledge and versatility required for impactful careers in healthcare, research and industry.
This year’s graduating class embarked on their academic journey in September 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Their first year was marked by fully online learning and severe restrictions that limited in-person interactions and traditional university experiences. Dr. Louise Collins, Academic Programme Coordinator, reflected on the cohort’s journey noting, ‘Working from home in isolation during their first year was a testament to the students’ tenacity and commitment to the programme. Despite the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, they persevered, transitioning to on-campus learning in their second year and fully embracing the college experience’.
Photo: BSc Medical and Health Sciences Graduate and British Pharmacological Society Undergraduate Pharmacology Prize winner 2024, Ms Lorna Collins, with Dr. Róisín Kelly-Laubscher Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Dr. Cathal McCarthy, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Dr. Louise Collins, Academic Programme Coordinator.
The Medical and Health Sciences programme extends its sincere thanks to the staff who worked tirelessly to mitigate this isolation by providing additional online small group learning sessions across all years of the programme. These sessions fostered interaction with faculty, encouraged peer mixing and dialogue, reduced isolation and helped build a strong sense of community. Faculty members also developed collaborative projects for students to work on together and present, enhancing engagement and connection. Special thanks go to Dr. Louise Collins and Professor Aideen Sullivan for leading Year One sessions, Dr. Róisín Kelly-Laubscher and Dr. Cathal McCarthy for leading Year Two and Dr. Cian McCafferty and Dr. Karen Matvienko-Sikar for Year Three. Their dedication in providing these sessions was invaluable in supporting students through the difficulties of the pandemic.
The graduates of 2024 leave UCC equipped not only with academic knowledge but with the resilience and adaptability necessary to make a real-world impact. They are poised to enter diverse sectors form medical research and biotechnology to health promotion, policy, science communication and beyond.
The programme’s Director, Professor Aideen Sullivan, who led the development of the Medical and Health Sciences programme, remarked, ‘This programme was designed to provide an opportunity for students to focus on human health and disease from the outset, building a strong foundation in the biosciences that prepares them to contribute meaningfully to advancements in health and medicine.’
At the graduation ceremony, Ms. Lorna Collins was presented with the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) Undergraduate Pharmacology Prize, a prestigious award recognising outstanding final-year undergraduates across the UK and Ireland. This accolade celebrates students whose final-year research projects and academic achievements exemplify excellence in pharmacology. Lorna’s final-year research project, titled ‘The potential role of oestrogen in the development of post-embolisation syndrome and chronic pelvic pain in pre-menopausal women’, was supervised by Dr. Maria Buckley in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Lorna received her BPS certificate from Dr. Róisín Kelly-Laubscher and Dr. Cathal McCarthy. Speaking about the award, Dr. Kelly-Laubscher, who nominated Lorna for the prize, remarked ‘We are incredibly proud of Lorna’s achievement in receiving this prestigious prize from the BPS. This award highlights Lorna’s exceptional dedication to Pharmacology and underscores the calibre of students emerging from the Medical and Health Sciences programme’.
Photo: BSc Medical and Health Sciences class of 2024 with Dr. Louise Collins, Academic Programme Coordinator, Dr. Cathal McCarthy, Year Four Coordinator and Dr. Róisín Kelly-Laubscher, Year One Coordinator.
As these graduates enter the next phase of their careers, they carry forward the values and skills instilled during their studies at UCC. They are encouraged to remain connected to the Medical and Health Sciences community as alumni, serving as ambassadors for the programme and as mentors for future students. Dr. Collins encouraged the graduates to ‘forge networks with fellow MHS alumni, offer guidance to upcoming graduates and return to UCC to share their experiences in alumni career seminars’.
The class of 2024 represents a growing community of Medical and Health Scientists who will make meaningful contributions globally. They are part of an interconnected network of UCC graduates dedicated to advancing health, science and well-being.
Congratulations to the Class of 2024! Jade Margaret Baylor Morrissey, Elizabeth Mary Collins, Lorna Julia Collins, Nadia Condon, Ellen Connolly, Orla Elizabeth Cremen, Claire Anne Cronin, David Ciarán Cronin, Aoibh Daly, Grace Catherine Daly, Rebecca Delaney, Eric Duane, Emma Niamh Dunne, Lucy Forde, Elena Galvin-McElligott, Jessica Anne Kearney, James Kelly, Stephen Kennedy, Laura Kirwan, Brandy Favour Lucky, Fionan MacGearailt, Amy Mary McGrath, Aoife Rebecca Moloney, Anna Sarah Morrissey, Katie Margaret Mullins, Diamond Ebubechukwu Nzekwe, Kayla O'Connor, Ellie O'Donovan, Ciara Denise O'Kane, Karl Isaac O'Sullivan, Chidozie Okorie, Emmanuela O Oronsaye, Claudia Osborne, Lia Powter, Rebecca Margaret Sheehan and Odhran Williamson We are immensely proud of each of you and look forward to seeing the impact you will make.
Links
CK707 BSc Medical and Health Sciences
Medical and Health Sciences website
Recording of conferring ceremony 25_10_2024
Medical and Health Sciences Graduation 2024
For more on this story contact:
News item Dr Louise Collins & Bereniece Riedewald
Photographs Bereniece Riedewald