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Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience wins Prestigious DELTA Award
University College Cork celebrates the Anatomy and Neuroscience teaching team led by Dr Mutahira Lone, who've won the 2025 DELTA Award – a first for the College of Medicine and Health and the second for UCC.
The national award recognises outstanding commitment to transforming teaching and learning within a discipline, with a particular focus on sustainable, evidence-based innovation and meaningful student partnership.
The DELTA review panel commended the team for their strong application and stated: ‘The panel was impressed by the strong teaching and learning culture you have cultivated. Your commitment to pedagogy, including the principles of Teaching for Understanding and Universal Design for Learning, is clearly evident. The inclusive and collaborative ethos across students, lecturers, and professors is impressive.’
Dr Mutahira Lone, Director for the MSc in Human Anatomy, said: ‘This award reflects the collaborative ethos we have worked hard to build. Our students are not just learners in the classroom – they are partners, co-researchers, co-designers and valued contributors to the future of anatomy education at the College of Medicine and Health, UCC.’
Over the past few years, the Anatomy & Neuroscience team has transformed learning experiences through innovative pedagogies, including 3D-printed models, interactive digital resources, flexible assessments, and research-based teaching practices. Student partners have played a central role in shaping these developments, co-writing learning materials, conducting scholarship projects, and evaluating new teaching approaches.
Professor Gerard O’Keeffe, Head of Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, congratulated the team, noting: ‘The DELTA Award affirms UCC’s leadership in pedagogical innovation and recognises the exemplary work happening in Anatomy & Neuroscience. This team sets a benchmark for what student partnership and research-enhanced teaching can achieve.’
The DELTA Award will support the team in implementing their updated Action Plan, which includes further embedding partnership principles, expanding staff capacity-building initiatives, and developing new cross-disciplinary collaborations to enhance learning across the health professions. The award was formally presented at a ceremony in Dublin on 27 March 2026.
Asma Zulfiqar, a final-year dental student – and member of the DELTA team – said: ‘Being involved as a co-researcher during the DELTA journey helped me understand the scholarship behind teaching practices. It showed me that education design and delivery in the department was evidence-based and innovative.’
This achievement reinforces UCC’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning and showcases the transformative impact of partnership-driven innovation on the student experience.