BSc Medical and Health Sciences degree at the UCC Undergraduate Open Day Oct 2022

17 Nov 2022

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.

Photo: Professor Aideen Sullivan, BSc Medical and Health Sciences Programme Developer and Academic Director, chatting with students at the recent UCC Open Day.

The BSc Medical and Health Sciences (CK707) degree is an innovative and exciting new cross-College BSc degree programme, which was conceived and developed by a team led by Professor Aideen Sullivan, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. Following its first  intake in 2018, the students of that first class have successfully completed and recently graduated from the four-year honours BSc programme

The BSc Medical and Health Sciences is a research-led course providing cutting-edge knowledge and skills in the fast-paced area of medical sciences. Students study across the spectrum of medical- and health-related disciplines, which opens up a wide range of career opportunities in medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. The course provides an in-depth scientific knowledge of the medical and health sciences, state-of-the-art research methods, and an insight into how research impacts human health and medicine. There are hands-on opportunities to undertake projects in world-class research laboratories. The course is taught by academics who are research leaders in the medical and translational sciences. MHS students at the BSc Medical and Health Sciences stand 

The class of 2022 have all secured positions in various career paths. Some of the graduates have secured employment in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries, others have embarked on further professional training in Graduate Entry Medicine and Physiotherapy. Other graduates with an interest in research have secured PhD positions in UCC and in Kings College London.

Photo: At the BSc Medical and Health Science Open Day stand from left; Fourth year BSc MHS student Eibhlís Myers, Second year BSc MHS student Eli O’Driscoll, with Dr Louise Collins, Professor Aideen Sullivan, and Fourth year BSc MHS students Seán O'Flaherty and Emma O’Donovan. 

Speaking about the success of the BSc Medical and Health Sciences, Aideen Sullivan BSc Medical and Health Sciences Programme Developer and Academic Director, explains that 'the innovative programme was designed to have a strong focus on research and is very successfully taught by research-active academics in a wide range of disciplines spanning the biological and medical sciences. Feedback from students has been very positive; they have enjoyed receiving up-to-date current knowledge in the fields of biomedical, clinical, and public health sciences, while also being encouraged to foster their own analytical study skills and critical thinking'.

Also hosting their own stand at the UCC Open Day in Brookfield Health Sciences Building was the UCC Society of Translational Medicine. The UCC Society of Translational Medicine was set up in 2020 by students of the BSc Medical and Health Sciences degree programme. It is an exciting student-led society focused on encouraging students to actualise their potential by engaging in activities in the area of translational medicine.  Translational medicine is the process of bringing laboratory discoveries into practical use in a clinical setting.

The UCC Society of Translational Medicine focuses on encouraging students to create change in the world of human health through translational medicine, with a principal objective of sparking interest and supporting the next generation of students in bridging the gap between medical science and clinical needs. To achieve this objective, the Society of Translational Medicine operates various initiatives including Reading Research Workshops, Translational Medicine (TM) Talks on topics ranging from meditation to the gut microbiome, and their annual flagship Translational Medicine Conference. There is also a weekly ‘Narrowing the Void’ podcast which was recently shortlisted in the National Student Media Awards in the ‘Best Podcast’ category.

Photo:UCC Society of Translational Medicine Committee members from left: Eibhlís Myers, Seán O'Flaherty, Emma O’Donovan and Eli O’Driscoll 

Professor Aideen Sullivan, Academic Director of the BSc in Medical and Health Sciences, when speaking about the UCC Society of Translational Medicine said  “I am very proud and constantly impressed by the motivation and enthusiasm of our students in the Society of Translational Medicine. The theme of translational medicine is core to the Medical and Health Sciences degree and it is very rewarding to see our students work so hard to promote awareness and knowledge of biomedical research, and to organise dynamic events.' I am confident that, upon graduation, they will progress to exciting careers in many areas of the Life Sciences, and I look forward to hearing about their future successes.”

Useful links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/anatomy/study-medical-and-health-sciences/

https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck707/

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