News
PharmSoc reaches the STARS at UCC’s Annual Society Awards
On Monday last, 13 March, the UCC STARS Awards took place in the Metropole Hotel, Cork.
The STARS Awards Ceremony is an annual event hosted by UCC Societies’ Executive to acknowledge the outstanding drive, commitment and work ethic of UCC students from all disciplines within UCC Societies. UCC is home to over 110 societies, from charitable societies, to linguistic societies, to everything imaginable between.
UCC’s Pharmacy Society, PharmSoc, had a very successful awards night, reflective of all their hard work and efforts throughout the academic year.
We would like to congratulate PharmSoc on their success in winning the award for Best Financial Management of a Society, coming runner up for Best Campaign and Best Event, and being placed top three for Best Poster and Best Departmental Society.
PharmSoc’s entry for Best Campaign was in relation to highlighting the societal and healthcare matter of antimicrobial stewardship. Running the longitudinal campaign involved organising a series events and representations throughout the academic year, including the Perrigo Scholarship Competition, arranging a UCC awareness campaign stand in Brookfield with Pharmacy staff members Dr. Aoife Fleming and Dr. J.J. Keating, promoting the message on social media and having a Pharmacist Antimicrobial Stewardship Network (PAMS-NET) representative (Emma Crowley) sit on our Organising Committee.
Under the category of Best Event, Pharmsoc’s entry was its upcoming Community Pharmacy Exhibition, which will be held on 21 March in the Pharmacy School. The Exhibition will host several pharmacy-related companies and representatives, including Lloyd's Pharmacy, Touchstore, Abbott Ireland and Coloplast, to name a few. A further School News Item will be published in due course detailing this excellent and informative initiative.
PharmSoc’s STARS Awards entry for Best Poster was its advertisement for the 2023 Pharmacy Ball, held on 11 February 2023 last.
In addition, we would also like to extend our congratulations to Pharmsoc’s current chairperson, Gráinne Barrett, on winning a STARS Individual Award in recognition of her contribution to societies and student life within UCC over the past year. Grainne’s leadership skills have been pivotal to the success of UCC’s PharmSoc. Gráinne has displayed excellent leadership skills, initiative and is extremely professional in all matters. This academic year has been one of the most successful years of the UCC pharmacy society, and Gráinne has been instrumental in driving this.
Highlighted below are some of the UCC Pharmacy Societies achievements in 2022/23
- PharmSoc has, to date, held 42 events this year – including the Pharmacy Ball, UCC’s Suicide Awareness and Mental Health (SÁMH) Society ‘Tabhair Aire Dod Intinn’, ‘Surviving the semester’ undergraduate peer-to-peer sessions, and many more!
- The Society has prioritised integration of all students, including first year student’s by facilitating its Buddy Night at the beginning of Semester I, organising social events, and creating and embedding Erasmus students into the student cohort.
- PharmSoc have organised some key events that highlight and prioritise education around the future of each student and their career e.g. placement talk, careers evening, wounds dressing talk and its Community Pharmacy Exhibition.
- The Society has raised funding for a variety of charities through volunteering, such as the Run in the Dark and Movember.
- PharmSoc has led a number of key initiatives that have enhanced both the personal and professional development of its Pharmacy student members and encompassing aspects of UCC’s Gradate Attributes and Values Compass. Exemplars include its Antimicrobial Stewardship campaign (Perrigo Scholarships, antimicrobial awareness week, involvement with PAMS-NET) and the Mental Health and Self-care Conference, ran in conjunction with UCC SÁMH Society, and featuring a range of keynote speakers who have experience on the topic.
Well done to all involved!