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The School of Pharmacy at UCC welcomes students to its third International Summer School
The School of Pharmacy, UCC, is currently running an Industrial Pharmacy Summer School for international students from Future University in Egypt (FUE).
This is now the 3rd Summer School that the School of Pharmacy UCC has organised since 2016. UCC and FUE (Cairo) signed a co-operation agreement in 2014. The aim of this cooperation agreement is to develop a collaborative relationship on both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes, whereby UCC supports the FUE in the delivery of enhanced pharmacy-related programmes to students registered at FUE.
The International Summer School is an important element of the ongoing collaboration between UCC and FUE. In 2016 and 2017, the focus of the Summer School was on Clinical Pharmacy. In 2018, UCC organised an intensive two-week Summer School on Industrial Pharmacy. Sixteen undergraduate students from FUE, accompanied by two staff members Dr Amira Ghoneim and Mr Mohamed Elgendy, travelled to Cork to partake in the Industrial Pharmacy Summer School.
The Summer School was organised by Dr Maria Donovan and delivered by staff of the School of Pharmacy. Students attended specialist lectures in topics in industrial pharmacy, including pharmaceutical drug development, pharmaceutical manufacturing and registration of medicines in the EU. Additionally, staff ran extensive practical ‘hands on’ training sessions for students on tabletting, granulation and quality control testing in the state of the art pharmaceutics laboratories in the School. Experiential site visits were arranged at local industrial manufacturers, Abbvie and Gilead, as well as training at the Biopharma Training Centre in Cork.
Speaking at the opening of the Summer School, Professor Patrick O’Shea, President of UCC, welcomed the students to UCC and spoke of how the students will have a rich and rewarding academic and also cultural experience in Cork. President O’Shea highlighted that the School of Pharmacy is well placed to deliver an international standard course in industrial pharmacy, particularly given that Cork is a global hub for the pharmaceutical industry. He highlighted that eight of the top ten pharmaceutical companies in the world have major manufacturing facilities in the greater Cork region.
In addition to promoting professional student development through the advanced theoretical and practical training provided, the Summer School programme included a range of non-curricular activities to promote the student experience. The students from FUE were invited to a reception with Lord Mayor Finn at City Hall, during which the students learned about the history of the Office of the Lord Mayor, as well as about the many distinguished visitors the City Hall has hosted over the years. A tour of UCC and Cork City, along with day trips to Killarney National Park, Cobh/Spike Island and an evening of Irish culture at Céilí Cois Locha also featured on the cultural programme.
Pictured with Lord Mayor Finn are staff and students from FUE, as well as staff of UCC.
Pictured with Prof Patrick O’ Shea, President of UCC, are staff and students of FUE, along with staff of UCC.
Top: Céilí Cois Locha; Bottom: Tour of UCC