In This Section
Kate Jarvey awarded honorary doctorate by University College Cork
Kate Jarvey, philanthropist, social entrepreneur and founder of the Crann Centre in Cork, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by University College Cork. The award was presented as part of the University’s autumn conferring ceremonies.
As a great-granddaughter of Eli Lilly, founder of Eli Lilly & Company, Kate is part of one of the United States’ most longstanding philanthropic families. Philanthropy has been a core element of Kate’s life from an early stage, but her contribution has extended well beyond family giving. She has worked as a changemaker internationally, her interests spanning health, disability, women and children, community development, inclusion and most importantly, the role of research and evidence in achieving lasting change.
Kate’s story in Ireland began in 1997, where she became increasingly aware of the challenges faced by children living with neuro-physical disabilities and their families in Cork. Her visionary led to the establishment of the Crann Centre in 2014, with an ambition to break the pattern of fragmented care for people with disabilities and their families.
In 2018, Crann opened its dedicated specialist community health-care centre in Ballincollig and has become a pioneering Irish charity which provides life-long, life-changing solutions for children, adults and families living with neuro-physical disabilities including spina bifida, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and stroke. The Crann Centre represents Kate’s wider philanthropic philosophy: listening to communities, investing in new approaches, bringing together different disciplines and organisations and using evidence rooted in the lived and living experience to not only improve systems, but people’s lives.
Kate Jarvey said: "I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive this Honorary Doctorate of Laws from UCC. I accept it with immense gratitude and as a reflection of the collective efforts of everyone involved in the Crann Centre's mission to improve the lives of children, adults, and families living with neuro-physical disabilities."
"UCC has been an incredible partner to the Crann Centre. From the outset, led by President John O’Halloran, the university recognised that Crann was pioneering a better way to support families living with neuro-physical disabilities. Through our community partnership, we have been able to evidence the impact of our whole-family approach and help drive meaningful change in how care and support services are designed and delivered. Together, we will continue to shift the system and shape a future where families receive the coordinated, family-centred support they deserve," added Ms. Jarvey.
In 2024 UCC and Crann formalised a community partnership to advance research into Crann’s pioneering 2Generation whole-family model of care. The partnership includes research being conducted on the impact of the pioneering model of care adopted by Crann at its centre in Ballincollig.
The Crann 2Generation whole-family model of care focuses on delivering a range of services and supports to a child or adult with a disability while also offering services to family members. This ensures that the entire family can enjoy better health and wellbeing and increased participation in leisure, education and work. Crann is the first organisation in Europe to adopt this approach for disability. The research generated by the collaboration with UCC will influence the wider application of a 2Generation approach and system change across the disability sector both in Ireland and across the world.
Professor John O’Halloran MRIA, President of UCC, said: "Kate Jarvey is a pioneering leader who has developed a unique 2 Generation Model of Care supporting children and adults living with neuro-physical disabilities. At the Crann Centre in Ballincollig, which she both founded and generously supports, people with neuro-physical disabilities and their families have access to a team of experts, services and holistic wraparound care programmes. Her work exemplifies the very finest traditions of philanthropy, innovation and inclusion, and she has built a legacy that will serve society for generations to come."