2013 Press Releases

Operation Transformation: Food for thought!

27 Mar 2013
Image l-r Deirdre Griffin, Health Promotion Project Worker for UCC HealthMatters; Ed Donovan, Director of HeartAid; John Griffin, winner of the essay competition; Dr Ann Kirby, lecturer in Health Economics; Dr Ella Kavanagh, Programme Director of the BA. Missing from the photo is Dr Lee-Ann Burke, lecturer in Health Economics.

A prize-winning essay examining student lifestyles was won by a final year BA student studying Health Economics, using UCC Operation Transformation as part of his inspiration.

This essay competition analysed student lifestyles; demographic, socio-economic, environmental and social factors which all have a part to play in their overall health and wellbeing. UCC Operation Transformation as part of UCC Health Matters was used as a ‘live case’ in class to demonstrate how some factors can affect the production of Health (See http://www.facebook.com/UCCHealthMatters ).

Health Economics, taught in the BA, recognises the need for economic decision making in the area of health care. Health Economics benefits students considering completing postgraduate degrees particularly in the areas of Health Economics. The MSc in Health Economics, the Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Health Economics Practice and a PhD in the area of Health Economics prepare graduates for careers applying economic methods to health analysis in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Some of the programme content, delivery and assessment are practice based, involving live cases and field work in the health care sector. Despite the recession, there are job opportunities in his field [see more about these job opportunities at  http://www.ucc.ie/en/economics/research/sag/health/jobopportunitiesinhealtheconomics/#d.en.167383]

This competition was sponsored by HeartAid ( www.heartaid.ie) which provides Mobile Cardiac Screening to reduce the incidence of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) in Ireland. The director, Ed Donovan (BA graduate of UCC), presented the prize to the winner, John Griffin. Mr Donovan emphasised how this essay competition offered a distinct opportunity for BA graduates to gain additional recognition of their work.

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