The School of Medicine hosted their annual prize-giving ceremony on the 21st November 2025.  This special event celebrates the excellent achievements of our students. The UCC Department of Paediatrics & Child Health  Aodán Ó Donnchadha Memorial Prize was presented by Mr. Domhnall O’Donnchadha, brother of Aodán Ó Donnchadha, to Dr. Laura Finn, who achieved one of the highest-marked research projects in Paediatrics.

Although unable to attend in person, Dr Roisin Mulcahy MacNamee was awarded the RGG Barry Prize for obtaining one of the highest marks in Paediatrics during the final medical examinations.

On 23rd May, the Department of Paediatrics & Child Health held its annual Postgraduate Research Presentation Day. The event featured guest speaker Mr. Adam Hardy from Pioneer Group, who shared insights on the commercialisation of clinical research. The day also celebrated student achievement with awards for the best early and late-stage research presentations.

We were honoured to welcome Professor Susanne (Susa) Benseler, Chief Academic Officer and Head of Paediatric Health Affairs at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), to our department this week.

In her leadership role, Prof. Benseler champions the integration of clinical excellence, education, research, and innovation to improve health outcomes for children and adolescents across Ireland.

During her visit, she met with colleagues from the INFANT Research Centre, the Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, and the Cork University Hospital. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase how we are embedding research and education within the hospital setting, bridging clinical care, academic training, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

It was a pleasure to highlight the impactful work being done by our teams and to explore future opportunities for collaboration.

Vitalograph Ireland Ltd., a global leader in respiratory diagnostics, has made a generous philanthropic gift to support students in the postgraduate programme in Allergy and Clinical Immunology . UCC’s fully online postgraduate programme, the first of its kind in the EU, offers flexible learning for healthcare professionals worldwide. Thanks to Vitalograph’s generosity, more students will have the opportunity to specialise in allergy and clinical immunology, addressing a critical shortage in this field and improving patient care.