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44th All Ireland Schools of Pharmacy (AISOP) Conference Held at UCC
The School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, was proud to host the 44th All Ireland Schools of Pharmacy (AISOP) Conference on 4–5 September 2025. The meeting brought together more than 100 PhD researchers and academic staff from schools of pharmacy across the island of Ireland, reflecting the strong collaborative spirit that underpins the advancement of pharmacy education and research.
The theme for AISOP 2025, "Innovate. Translate. Transform – Pharmacy’s Role in the Future of Care", guided two days of discussion and exchange. Plenary sessions, oral presentations, and posters demonstrated how discovery science, pharmaceutical research, and clinical practice are shaping the future delivery of healthcare.
Keynote lectures were delivered by:
- Professor Colin Hill (UCC), on the role of the microbiome in health and disease;
- Professor Caitriona O’Driscoll (UCC), on advances in drug delivery;
- Dr Brian Cleary (St James’s Hospital, Dublin), on clinical research and patient-centred care.
A central feature of the conference was the contribution of early-stage researchers, who presented their work in both oral and poster sessions. The standard of research was commended by judges, with the following prizes awarded:
- Best Oral Presentation: Noor Al-Rawi (Queen’s University Belfast) and Jack Wright (Ulster University)
- Best Poster Presentation: Meaghan Richardson (University College Cork) and Gaia Lusoli (Trinity College Dublin)
Delegates also had opportunities to strengthen links between institutions during networking sessions, which remain a cornerstone of AISOP. Schools represented included UCC, University of Galway, Queen’s University Belfast, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, South East Technological University, Ulster University, and Trinity College Dublin.
Conference organiser Dr Katie Ryan expressed her thanks to all speakers, participants, and colleagues who supported the event, noting that "AISOP continues to provide a vital platform for the next generation of pharmacy researchers to share their work, build collaborations, and demonstrate the impact of their research on the future of healthcare."
