School of Pharmacy, UCC Recognised With Prestigious Athena Swan Silver Award
7 Apr 2026
The School of Pharmacy at University College Cork has received an Athena Swan Silver Award from Advance HE for recognising the issues and opportunities facing the School and demonstrating success in addressing gender equality and wider inequalities.
Sarah Fink, Head of Athena Swan Ireland, said, “This Silver Athena Swan award highlights the fantastic commitment of University College Cork, School of Pharmacy in bringing about change through impactful and sustainable gender equality initiatives in higher education across Ireland. Congratulations to all those who work so hard to achieve and sustain this recognition.”
Jennie Rothwell, Centre of Excellence for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Higher Education Authority, said, "Action plans developed through the Athena Swan Ireland Charter enable higher education institutions and departments to take an evidence-based approach to addressing gender equality challenges. Congratulations to University College Cork, School of Pharmacy in taking this step forward to advance gender equality for all staff and students."
The panel commended the SAT: for demonstrating ‘a clear commitment within the school to Athena Swan and wider EDI principles’ and ‘strong engagement across relevant school and institutional structures, with positive representation from male and female staff members’.
The application was developed by the School’s Self-Assessment Team (SAT) led by co-chairs Dr. Suzanne McCarthy and Dr. Kevin Murphy. Dr. McCarthy welcomed the award saying:
“We are thrilled to receive this Silver Athena Swan Award, which recognises the School’s longstanding commitment to advancing gender equality. Since receiving our first Athena Swan Award in 2017, we have worked consistently to ensure that fairness, inclusion, and equal opportunity are embedded in every aspect of School life. As only the second School of Pharmacy in Ireland, and the second school within the university, to achieve a Silver Award, this recognition highlights how far we have come and reaffirms the strong culture of equity that underpins our community.”
The School of Pharmacy is the second departmental Silver Award in UCC following on from the School of Food and Nutritional Science’s award in 2025 as well as UCC’s Silver institutional award in the same year.
Remarking on the Silver award, Prof. Brendan Griffin, Head of School of Pharmacy added:
‘I am delighted that the UCC School of Pharmacy has been awarded the Athena Swan Silver Award. Our progress is driven by the dedication of all our staff, whose commitment to fostering a respectful, equitable and supportive university environment, enables scholarship and creativity to flourish among both staff and students, and ensures that everyone has the opportunity to thrive. I extend my sincere thanks to our Co-chairs, Dr Suzanne McCarthy and Dr Kevin Murphy, and to our EDI team for their leadership and unwavering commitment. This is a fantastic achievement and a well-deserved recognition of the culture, values and collective team spirit that we are proud to say define our School.’