Prof Gerard O’Keeffe appointed Vice Head for Research and Innovation at College of Medicine and Health UCC

17 Apr 2023

UCC has appointed Professor Gerard O’Keeffe as its new Vice Head for Research and Innovation at College of Medicine and Health.

An important role and a key action arising from UCC’s new Strategic Plan, Professor O’Keeffe will lead the development and implementation of a strategic research and innovation plan for College of Medicine and Health helping to implement the UCC Futures framework and create an innovation culture and entrepreneurial campus underpinned by an ethos of creativity and discovery.

Professor O’Keeffe graduated from UCC with a BSc and PhD in Neuroscience in 2000 and 2004. This was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Biosciences in Cardiff University in the UK before returning to UCC in 2008 where he now leads an active research team in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. Professor O’Keeffe and his team use a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach to discover and characterise the factors that influence the development, degeneration and regeneration of neurons in the nervous system.

Working with several patient groups and clinical colleagues, Professor O’Keeffe and his team work to understand the lifestyle and societal factors that affect the health and wellbeing of people with Parkinson's disease. Professor O’Keeffe has received a number of fellowships and awards since including UCC PhD Supervisor of Year in 2019 and the New Fellow of the Year award from the Anatomical Society in 2022. 

A native of Lismore in Co. Waterford Professor O’Keeffe said: “I am excited to be taking up this pivotal leadership position at College of Medicine and Health at a time of immense global change and opportunity. I look forward to working with the College, and colleagues across the University, in line with the University’s vision and mission going forward, to address global grand challenges in health and disease through the UCC Futures framework, and the new Academic Health Sciences Partnership with our colleagues in the South/South West Hospital Group.”

Head of College of Medicine and Health Professor Helen Whelton congratulated Professor O’Keeffe on his appointment: “We are delighted to have Professor O’Keeffe join us as Vice Head for Research and Innovation. This is an important role as we continue to transform UCC’s research culture. Prof. O’Keeffe joins the College leadership team at a time when the University is partnering with the health services to develop an Academic Health Sciences System where the Health Service and the University work in partnership to develop the highest quality patient care underpinned by teaching, training, research and innovation. We are committed to continually strengthening our research and academic excellence at the College of Medicine and Health supporting innovation and translation of research to tangible solutions to address emerging societal needs and global challenges to secure a better future for all. I would like to thank Prof. Liam Fanning and Prof. Mike Clarkson for their great work over the past years and look forward to working with Prof. O’Keeffe in this key role going forward”.

Vice-President for Research & Innovation Professor John Cryan said: “This is an exciting time for research in UCC and COMH as the UCC Futures framework and our Research Charter gets deployed. I look forward to working with Prof. O’Keeffe  in this role to deliver on our research ambitions. I would like to complement the excellent work of Prof. Liam Fanning and Prof. Mike Clarkson over the past years in driving the research agenda in the College to date”.