The Pulse - Trinity School of Medicine Newsletter - Summer 2022

the

Pulse

Trinity School of Medicine Newsletter

Spring Edition 2022 Summer Edition 2022

CONTENTS Editorial ..............................................................................................

Lead Article ........................................................................................

The Bench Physiology@100 Celebration events ............................................

International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop ..............................

From Bench to Bedside Exploring the magic of innate T-cells: A report from our immunologists ..............................................................................

Bedside Cancer Diagnosis then and now ..................................................

Blackboard Distinguished professor visit spotlights inclusive health sciences education .......................................................................

Two Trinity medical students win prestigious Laidlaw scholarships ..................................................................................

Beyond Jo-Hanna Ivers describes her new role as Associate Dean of Civic Engagement and Social Innovation ....................................

Inaugural Creative Brain Week Explores How Brain Science and Creativity Collide ...................................................................

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Showcase of Wonders

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A Day in the Life of...

From airfreight expert to research impact officer: A Day in the Life of Bridget Gavin ....................................................................

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EDITORIAL With world’s focus on the war in Ukraine, it was appropriate for our Summer edition of Trinity Pulse to lead with a short interview with medical student, Anastasia Skrypnykova. Now a refugee in Dublin, she recounts her experience of fleeing her home and family and trying to complete her final year exams remotely. We wish her and her classmates all the best in the next stage of their careers in these complex times.

Under our pillars of Bench and Bedside, we spotlight the exciting work from our physiologists and cancer specialists respectively, while the work of our immunologists exemplifies a seamless link from Bench to Bedside. SoM’s teaching and education is highlighted under ‘Blackboard’, where we focus on inclusivity in the health sciences curriculum and report on two of our youngest medical students being honoured as Laidlaw scholars. Finally, under ‘Beyond’, we report on the success of the inaugural Creative Brain Week, hosted by the Global Brain Health Institute, which celebrated the interface of brain science and creativity. We end our issue with a fascinating read of a ‘Day in the Life’ of someone whom everyone in SoM will know. Read on and find out who it is…

Iracema Leroi, Editor Special thanks to Michelle Hendrick and Lucie Mingmei Hao for their hard work on this issue.

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LEAD ARTICLE

From medical student to war refugee…Anastasiia describes her journey from Lviv to Dublin In April, our Editor met with Anastasiia Skrypnykova and her Dublin host, Tatyana, over a meal in the Liberties to find out more about Anastasiia’s journey to Dublin. Read her story below.

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your How did you come to be in Dublin, staying family? with Dr Tatyana Mollayeva?

I am Anastasiia, a final year medical student from Kyiv. I grew up in a wonderful city in the western part of Ukraine – Lviv, where I was given the chance to study in one of the best high schools in my country- Lviv Physics and Mathematical Lyceum. My interest in Medicine arose mostly because of my mother, Olena, a brilliant GP, who is now helping many patients in Lviv and the surrounding region. I observed and learned a lot about the daily life of a doctor during my studies in high school, which is located nearby the hospital where my mother works. She specializes in the medical care of people with mental illness and has an additional specialization in psychodrama. Through psychodrama she has helped many patients during periods of distress.

My father is an engineer, he works with complex multicurrency cash register machines, and really wanted me to become an engineer also. I eventually chose medicine after serious consideration and the influence of my aunt Tatyana, who now lives in Dublin. Pavlo is my younger brother, and although there is an 8-year gap between us, he already is quite mature. He resembles me a lot and we are very close.

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I was lucky enough to leave Kyiv on the day the war broke out on February 24. My parents were very worried for me and asked me to leave the city which had become unsafe.

I returned to Lviv along with my friend who also studies medicine with me as she was unable to return to her home in east Ukraine. During this time, the situation was escalating across Ukraine and my aunt Tatyana suggested I come to stay with her in Dublin. She is currently a Fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute. My mother made the difficult choice of staying in Ukraine to continue helping her patients and injured people. Also, there is a law forbidding men from 18 to 60 to leave the country during war, and my mother did not want to leave without my dad

What was the journey out of Ukraine like?

It is hard to describe the whole trip to Poland, where my uncle was waiting for us. We struggled a lot, especially during the train journey which took 12 hours. I had to stand for the last three hours of the trip. It was also emotionally disturbing, as many people, mostly women, children, and elderly, were in a great distress because of war in the cities they had left, many of which were destroyed by bombing.

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targets of the bombing. My mom, along with many of her colleagues, are working longer hours to fulfill their duties. It is not an easy task, because during both the day and night, healthcare professionals have to take care of patients rather than seek refuge in the bomb shelters when the air raids start.

Have any plans been made to continue your medical studies remotely?

Bogomolets National Medical University (NMU)

When did you and your fellow classmates realise the war was a reality?

I remember the moment vividly when we all realized that war had started. In Kyiv, I lived in a dormitory with three roommates. It was Thursday, and that day I had to go to my parttime job as a doctor-assistant in a private clinic, the ‘Kyiv Clinic’. I usually wake at 7am to start my day. But that Thursday, when the war began, everything changed for me and my roommates. We were awakened at 5 am with a phone call from my roommate’s mother who was crying and panicking. Within the next hour, we heard air raid alarms and explosions close to our students’ dormitory. In minutes, all the students in the dormitory started packing up and leaving the city. Crowds were everywhere. We were unsure if we would safely reach our destinations. We all were in great distress.

What preparations, if any, did the medical school make?

Sadly, my university, as everyone else, was not prepared for the war. We did not expect that Russia would invade Ukraine and destroy our cities. We felt as if we were living in a surreal world and had no idea what to expect. We were worried about the continuity of our education, graduation, and even whether we would receive our diplomas if we left the city.

Information was scarce; many students still went to classes and completed their lessons on that first day. Starting on the following Monday, we started to receive information from the school directing us to leave.

What are the circumstances within the medical community at home?

I am not sure about the exact number of doctors who have left, but it is likely not many. Many our professors have stayed and continue working and teaching us online, sometimes even from bomb shelters. I am extremely grateful to them for their courage and dedication. In Lviv, where my family lives, we have many people displaced by the war, and even hospitals from the east are moving to the west. Hospitals in Lviv now treat a lot of patients with different kinds of injuries and many operating rooms have been moved to bomb shelters as we see that even healthcare facilities become Summer Edition

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we all were used to study online already. At first, it was hard due to the sense of panic and continuous relocation from place to place for many students, with people going where they thought they would be safe. But as the time has gone on, we have all become used to online studying again. We even had our final exams organized such that examination could be done online. I have just completed an exam from my aunt’s apartment here in Dublin.

Where are your classmates now?

Many of my classmates have returned home to be with their families immediately after the war started. One of my friends, Ira, who is from Bucha, managed to escape that nightmare along with her parents and a dog. We were all praying for her.

It took them three days to move from Bucha to Chernivtsi, a city near the Romanian border. As the war operations escalated, many of my classmates relocated from Kyiv and Mariupol to the West Ukraine, Poland, and other European countries. Many experienced difficulties studying abroad, and some of my friends returned to Ukraine, in hope to complete their education.

What do you see as next steps for you and your education?

When I came to Dublin, I had no plans regarding my medical studies abroad. I honestly though that I would be able to come back to Ukraine very soon and start my internship. I want to be a radiologist, and when the war started, I was waiting for the outcome of our internship placements. I then discovered that our Ukrainian medical diplomas are not valid in Europe, nor in America or Canada. Thus, to qualify for a clinical placement, I need to complete USA or Canadian medical tests, which will take time to prepare for.

How can the medical community here in Dublin support you?

I am very thankful to the Ireland and Irish people for all the support they have given us. They already have helped Ukrainians a lot. As I mentioned, medical students are obliged to complete additional exams to validate their diplomas. I believe that preparation courses for these exams would help us a lot. Also, for graduate students like me who are in final year of their studies, it would be a great opportunity to have clinical observership here in Ireland. For students who are early in their studies, it would be great if they are given an opportunity to observe the classes here in Dublin, so they get better in their English capacity and European system of medical studies.

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THE BENCH Physiology@100 Celebration events to include a Nobel Prize winner’s lecture

By Professor Mark Cunningham

This year marks the centenary of the establishment of the Chair in Physiology (1922), an event that formed Physiology as a distinct academic discipline within the School of Medicine. To mark this centenary, we will hold a series of events during 2022. The Discipline is planning a full programme to include workshops, public engagement and alumni events. The flagship event will see us host a one-day symposium ‘Physiology@100: Past, Present & Future’ on the 1st of September 2022.

Physiologists in Trinity have contributed, and continue to contribute, to our knowledge of biological systems and the treatment of disease. The department has a long and fruitful history of positive interactions with our representative society, The Physiological Society. The Discipline of Physiology has hosted full meetings of the Society in 2003 and 2016 and we have also hosted several Society-sponsored symposia in recent years. A testament to our excellent relationship is evidenced by the recent appointment of Professor Aíne Kelly (Professor in Physiology) as a trustee of the society.

As part of our centenary celebrations, we are organising a number of events in partnership with The Physiological Society. On the 16th of May, Professor Kelly will host a workshop, ‘Putting physiology at the heart of Irish science policy’. With the support of a Physiological Society Institutional Engagement award, Professor Mikel Egaña (Assoc. Professor) will host a research symposium titled ‘Recent advances in clinical exercise physiology’ on the 16th of June. The Physiological Society will also visit college 6

on the 23rd of June to unveil a Blue Plaque to honour the contributions of Dr Gerald F. Yeo (BA (mod) 1866; MB, MCh 1867) to the service of physiology. Yeo was one of the founding members of the Physiological Society (1876) and acted as the first secretary.

We will also be host to two prestigious Prize lectures awarded by the Physiological Society. During the symposium on the 1st September, Professor David Miller (Glasgow University) will deliver the Paton Prize lecture titled ‘Sydney Ringer and physiological discovery in its historical context’. On the 29th September, Professor Dino Giussani (Cambridge University) will deliver the GL Brown lecture titled ‘Healing tiny hearts across generations’.

Finally, in our centenary year we will re-launch the John Mallet Purser Memorial Public Lecture. John Mallet Purser held the King’s Professorship of the Institutes of Medicine (18741902) which was converted to the Chair of Physiology (est.

1922) on the formation of the Irish Free State Government.

He also held the Regius Chair of Physic (1917-1925). He based his clinical teaching on physiology, histology and pathology and is regarded as one of the pioneers of genuine scientific medicine in Dublin. We are delighted to announce that this year’s John Mallet Purser Memorial Public Lecture (13th September) will be delivered by Sir Peter Ratcliffe FRS (University of Oxford). Sir Peter Ratcliffe was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine (2019) for his work as a clinician scientist to understanding oxygen availability.

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International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop

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FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE Exploring the magic of innate T-cells: A report from our immunologists

By Professor Derek Doherty The Department of Immunology in Trinity’s School of Medicine provides a clinical and diagnostic Immunology service in St. James’s Hospital, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes at TCD, and numerous research endeavours in Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and St. James’s Hospital. We are engaged in basic and translational research initiatives that we hope will benefit patients suffering from immune-mediated diseases and immunodeficiencies, as well as infectious diseases and cancer.

The Immunology Clinical Service, led by Drs. Niall Conlon and David Edgar, has identified novel immunodeficiencies and autoinflammatory disorders and the Immunology Diagnostic Service, led by Dr. Jean Dunne, is developing new tests for the diagnosis of these diseases. They have contributed to the European Society for Immunodeficiencies Database new information on activated PI3 kinase delta syndrome (APDS), immunodeficiencies associated with the CARD11 gene, and on an autoinflammatory disease caused by pathogenic variants of the PSTPIP1 gene. They have also defined novel antibody deficiencies and have refined protocols for the diagnosis and management of patients with ataxia telangiectasia. This research has led to an industry-sponsored phase 2/3 clinical trial, supported by the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, into a novel treatment for APDS and several phase 4 observational studies on the immunoglobulin replacement therapy HyQVia and the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist Icatibant.

The Immunology clinical service is also a centre of reference for the management of patients with chronic urticaria and is currently engaged in translational studies on the role of mast cell progenitors in this condition. In collaboration with Dr. Pádraic Dunne at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the department is also pioneering the use of 8

attention-based training to complement pharmacological management of chronic urticaria.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the subject of immunology to every household and immunologists were tasked with answering questions on how the immune system deals with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARSCoV-2) and how it causes the pathological inflammation associated with the disease. In collaboration with local and international clinicians and scientists, we are looking for biomarkers that predict COVID-19 related disease manifestations, investigating the roles of antibodies and T cells in protection against the disease, and developing new approaches to measure immune responses to SARSCoV-2 in the post-vaccine setting. The immunology clinical service is also managing vaccination of individuals who are potentially allergic to the vaccine as well as individuals with immunodeficiencies.

Working on the flow cytometer Summer Edition

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A major area of translational research in the Immunology Department is on the biology and treatment potential of ‘innate T cells’. Whereas conventional T cells have cellsurface antigen receptors that recognize peptide fragments of proteins derived from pathogens and tumours, giving them exquisite specificity in adaptive immune responses, innate T cells do not recognise peptides - instead they recognize non-peptide antigens produced by pathogens or by host cells in response to infection, stress or tumour transformation. Thus, natural killer T (NKT) cells and some gamma/delta (γδ) T cells recognise lipids produced by bacteria and host cells; other γδ T cells recognise phosphates produced by some pathogens and tumour cells; and mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells recognise vitamin B precursors produced by some bacteria and can also be activated by cytokines released by virusinfected cells.

Preparing blood cells

Preparing blood cells

Research in the Immunology Department led by Prof. Derek Doherty is attempting to use innate T cells to treat various cancers, infectious, inflammatory and metabolic conditions and immunodeficiencies. We have developed novel antigens, drugs and culture conditions that expand and activate the anti-tumour activities of NKT cells. We are also examining potential γδ T cell and MAIT cell therapies and asking how can we integrate chemotherapies, radiotherapy, surgery and different immunotherapies to optimally treat cancer patients? Chemotherapies and radiotherapies can impair the activities of innate T cells, whereas other immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitor drugs, may enhance their anti-tumour activities. The recent successes using T cells engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) in cancer treatment point to innate T cells as attractive candidates for CAR-T cell therapy. By combining the anti-tumour properties of innate T cells with the tumourtargeting properties of CARs, superior immunotherapies to those currently used may be created. Furthermore, while current CAR-T cell therapies use autologous cells, making them personalised and expensive, innate T cells are not major histocompatibility complex restricted and will not cause allogeneic tissue rejection, meaning that they may be used as ‘off-the-shelf’ therapies for multiple patients.

The above-mentioned research in the Immunology Department is a snapshot of work carried out by PhD, MD, MSc and undergraduate students as well as clinicians, medical laboratory scientists and postdoctoral fellows.

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THE BEDSIDE Cancer Diagnosis, Then and Now…

Maeve Lowery is Professor of Translational Cancer Medicine, and Academic Director of the Trinity St James Cancer Institute

On 31st March 2022, Professor Maeve Lowery delivered a public lecture, “Cancer Diagnosis, Then and Now” as part of the Academic Primary Care Centre (APCC) Public Lecture Series 2021-22. This public lecture series brings academic staff of Trinity College to the local community in Tallaght to deliver high quality, accessible talks with a view to stimulating debate and community engagement. Professor Lowery’s talk focused on the global causes of cancer, outlined the increased prevalence of cancer in Ireland, and reinforced cancer prevention guidelines. Professor Lowery went on to give a detailed insight to some of the emerging treatments, including Immuno-oncology whereby new immunotherapy drugs help the patient’s immune cells to recognise cancer cells as foreign and begin to attack. New treatments in development are mostly immuno-oncology or targeted therapies, with Professor Lowery outlining how more research is required to identify blood / tissue markers which can predict whether a patient will respond to chemotherapy and/or to novel agents. Clinical trials are the key component of the future of cancer research, something which the Trinity St James Cancer Institute will facilitate.

L-R: Prof Maeve Lowery with Prof Michael Gill and Prof Noel McCarthy

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THE BLACKBOARD Distinguished professor visit spotlights inclusive health sciences education The Discipline of Occupational Therapy in conjunction with the Faculty of Health Sciences Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Group hosted Visiting Professor Lisa Meeks, from the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr Meeks is an expert in disabilities in medical education. Her research interests include: Improving access to medical education for learners with disabilities, medical student and resident well-being, reducing health care disparities in patients with disabilities, and the performance and trajectory of learners and physicians with disabilities.

Prof Michelle Spiritos and Prof Lisa Meeks

Her public lecture and panel discussion entitled “Accessibility and Inclusion of Disabled Students in Health Sciences” brought together some of the key stakeholders on disability inclusion in Trinity College, including the Associate Vice Provost for EDI, Professor Lorraine Leeson; the Project Director of the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum Project (TrinityINC), Dr Rachel Hoare; the Head of Disability Support, Gerard Gallagher; and Founder and Clinical Director of the Unilink Service, Dr Clodagh Nolan.

The discussion on this topic will continue within Trinity and beyond, with an expression of interest already received from a member of the DFHERIS Disability Consultative Committee, proposing a thematic meeting on this topic.

Public lecture

Further details of the Faculty of Health Sciences EDI Visiting Professor Series can be found here.

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Two Trinity medical students win prestigious Laidlaw scholarships impact in the world for themselves and others. Scholars, including those from theoretical physics to Middle Eastern Studies, as well as our two recipients from SoM will undertake an 18-month Programme starting in May 2022 consisting of a student-led original research project in Summer 2022, an applied leadership-focused project in Summer 2023 – the “Leadership in Action” experience, and leadership development training including personal coaching, reflective work, volunteering, group workshops, residential days, and conferences.

Trinity’s new 2022 Laidlaw scholars

Medical students Ms Ananya Sanagavaram and Ms Sarah Waicus, were among the 24 Trinity students selected as recipients of the prestigious Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Programme, a student scholarship scheme made possible by a philanthropic gift from Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay and the Laidlaw Foundation. It aims to create a network of versatile, ethical, and passionate leaders from 12 international universities who will invest their skill and experience in their chosen field to make a meaningful 12

Ananya’s project, supervised by Professors Iracema Leroi and Sven Vanneste from the Global Brain Health Institute will explore acceptability of novel neuromodulatory approach for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. Sarah’s project, supervised by Dr Eddie Moloney, will compare the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea using home sleep polygraphy testing to in-laboratory polysomnography during COVID-19. We wish these two very worthy scholarship recipients all the best in their new roles as Laidlaw scholars.

Ananya and Sarah with the Provost, Professor Linda Doyle at the Laidlaw welcome reception on April 20 2022 at TBSI. Summer Edition

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THE BEYOND Jo-Hanna Ivers describes her new role as Associate Dean of Civic Engagement and Social Innovation

Dr Jo-Hanna Ivers

What does your new role involve?

The role is a new one, so much of what it involves is still in the developmental stage. That said, neither Civic Engagement nor Social Innovation is new to Trinity. We have many academic and professional staff doing excellent work in these spaces to make a difference in the civic life of our community and the communities they are trying to improve things for. So a very practical part of the role will be finding ways to collate and showcase this work to the Trinity community and broader society.

Why are you excited about it?

I work in Public Health & Primary Care, so Civic Engagement is something that I have always been excited about and is a big part of my work. However, leading this for the College community excites and terrifies me in equal parts. I am most looking forward to engaging our colleagues in the strategic planning phase. Trinity has had a number of strategic goals around civic engagement and social innovation but no stand-alone strategic plan.

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What are your hopes and visions for Trinity in this regard?

My vision is for Trinity to lead globally in both Civic Engagement and Social Innovation. I hope to nurture and develop what has been created by individuals and groups in Trinity to co-design a campus community and culture that is equipped and committed to advancing society.

How will it complement on-going activities or facilitate new ventures?

To go full circle, I see the role complementing the stellar work that is currently happening in Schools and Faculties across the Trinity community. The role will support existing initiatives that engage students and staff in political and civic activities and develop dynamic new opportunities such as forging new relationship with Social Innovators such as ReThink Ireland to resources to share and nurture our community ideas. I am committed to creating space and resources for staff and students to become TCD champions and ambassadors of Civic Engagement nationally and globally.

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Inaugural Creative Brain Week Explores How Brain Science and Creativity Collide

By Helen Murray

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Global Dementia Ambassador Helen Rochford-Brennan during a Library of People session with experts by education or experience

Speakers at the Creative Brain Week session: “Creating the Potential for Creativity to Flourish”

Trinity’s campus was abuzz for five days from March 12th-16th with the launch of the inaugural Creative Brain Week Hosted by the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), a series of online and in-person events made up an exciting program of exploration with over 100 international experts coming together to celebrate creativity, originality, and its application.

Guest speakers included artists, neuroscientists, researchers, educationalists, industry leaders and innovators. In tandem, a creative exhibition covered a wide variety of genres and themes from dance to opera to visual art to performances.

Commenting on the event, Ian Robertson, co-director of GBHI said: “It was a privilege to host the inaugural Creative Brain Week here at Trinity. I firmly believe that understanding the links and intersections between creativity and neuroscience is crucial for continued innovation and development.”

Dancer and Atlantic Fellow Magda Kaczmarska leads a BrainFM workshop that uses dance to learn about the brain

Photographer and Atlantic Fellow Alex Kornhuber discusses his exhibition, on ageing in Peru, with GBHI CoDirector Ian Roberson

Atlantic Fellows from around the world enjoy reconnecting at Trinity

Opened by the Provost, Professor Linda Doyle, the event examined how brain science and creativity collide to seed new ideas in social development, technology, entrepreneurship, culture, brain health and wellbeing throughout our lives while also highlighting the importance of Ireland and Trinity in this emergent field.

The inaugural event was a resounding success with over 2,000 attendances from around the world. A particular highlight was seeing Atlantic Fellows joyfully reconnecting and collaborating after being unable to meet for so long due to the pandemic.

To find out more and to view recordings of the talks please visit: www.creativebrainweek.com 14

Reception hosted

by Provost Dr Linda Doyle marks the close of the inaugural event

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SHOWCASE OF WONDERS

(L to R) Dr Kiva Brennan, Dr Robert Briggs, Dr Dónal Wallace, Dr Margaret Lawler, Bridget Gavin, Professor Ursula Fearon, Professor Wolfgang Schmitt, Sarah Bowman, Dr Dania Movia, Dr Michelle Spirtos, Dr Geraldine Foley and Dr Laure Marignol

The first ever TCD Med Research Awards 2022 Prof Seamas Donnelly

Professor Seamas Donnelly elected President Association of Physicians of Great Britain & Ireland Seamas Donnelly, Professor of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin has been elected President of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain & Ireland (www.aopgbi.org).

The 2022 winners under the newly established TCD Med Research Awards programme were honoured at a special awards ceremony on Tuesday 3rd May 2022. The grants are designed to support early innovative studies and to advance research impact. The €50,000 Awards programme, established as part of the School of Medicine’s Research Strategy 2021-2026, is designed to recognise outstanding contributions to research and the achievements of early and mid-career researchers. The seven successful TCD Med Research Awardees 2022 and a link to their proposals are available here.

The Association is the leading medical academic society on these islands which through its educational initiatives, mentoring, grant funding and its official medical journal the Quarterly Journal of Medicine (QJM) champions excellence in Translational Medicine. Founded by Sir William Osler in 1907 as the home of interdisciplinary Translational Medicine, building a vibrant community of researchers from early career investigators to more established principal investigators.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics course successfully ran A free online course in Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Clinicians was huge success! It was presented by Fulbright Scholar Professor Annette Fitzpatrick, in association with the Discipline of Medical Gerontology.

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Athena SWAN Bronze Trinity’s School of Medicine has received an Athena SWAN Bronze award! The Athena SWAN Charter is an international framework that seeks to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research, and our School has received the award in recognition of its commitment to gender equality.

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Horizon Europe Success Dean of Health Sciences Award for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching in Professional Practice The Faculty hosted a celebratory event in the Senior Common Room on Tuesday 19th April to award the recipients of the Dean of Health Sciences Award for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching in Professional Practice. This award was developed to recognise the significant contribution of professionals who do not hold appointments with Trinity to the delivery of teaching to our undergraduate and postgraduate students. It seeks to recognise the often unseen yet extremely valuable contribution of such colleagues and to highlight those exceptional individuals who excel in teaching and who continually encourage an ethos of excellence in clinical teaching.

Researchers from the School of Medicine are part of a European consortium that have been awarded 6 million euros to investigate “cancer navigators” (trained volunteers) in the care of older persons receiving anticancer treatment. Prof Andrew Davies (Palliative Medicine) and Dr Amanda Lavan (Medical Gerontology) will be involved in the clinical trial, whilst Dr Peter May (Public Health & Primary Care) will supervise the health economic analysis.

Awards from 2019-20 were interrupted by Covid-19 and so were conferred on this occasion: Dr Enda O’Connor, was nominated by the Medicine students Awards from 2021-22 included: Dr Susan (Susie) O’Callaghan, (Medicine Programme) was nominated by the students and staff of the School of Medicine Anne-Maria Scanlon, (Therapies Programmes) was nominated by the staff of the School of Medicine (Physiotherapy)

Discipline of Radiation Therapy Hosts French Collaborators

Professor Charlotte Robert and Nathan

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Funded by the Irish Cancer Society Ulysses Award, the Discipline of Radiation Therapy recently welcomed French collaborators, Dr Charlotte Robert and PhD student Nathan Benzazon, from Gustave Roussy, Paris. Discussions and knowledge exchange during this visit allowed for the identification of future joint projects regarding the use of AI for personalised radiotherapy and has strengthened the research collaboration between the institutions.

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(L to R: Delali, Julie, Kate, Maria, Beatrice, Qusai, Evan, Kristin, Azza, Mohanad

Child and youth mental health research at the Hadfield Lab

Trinity team excelled in Sonogames 2022 Trinity College Dublin medical student team ‘supersonic’ win sono games 2022! The inaugural sonogames competition took place in the Mater Miscordiae hospital on the 15th April. Medical student teams from across Ireland competed in a point of care ultrasound (pocus) skills’ challenge.

The Trinity team excelled in knowledge, technical and non-technical skills in performing pocus.

Congratulations Team Supersonic!

What makes children and adolescents thrive when faced with adverse or challenging contexts? The research conducted by students and postgraduates at the Hadfield Lab in the Trinity Centre for Global Health aims to answer this and similar questions in order to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Lab members are currently conducting research in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe in the following areas: •

• • •

•

Improving the mental health and wellbeing of children living in humanitarian crisis contexts through clinical trials in Jordan of reading interventions, parenting behaviours in Syrian refugee mothers, parenting in protracted refugee setting and the use of creative art therapy in war-affected populations with PTSD. Synthesizing evidence on the mental health risks and resilience among pollution-exposed adolescents and exploring how early adolescents conceptualize connecting with nature (Kate Dagher).

Development of guidelines on involving young people in health research using participatory methods with the help of young researchers and advisors (Azza Warraitch and Delali Bruce).

Examining how pregnancy-related anxiety is conceptualized and measured among pregnant women in northern Ghana, and what the predicting factors for pregnancy-related anxiety in this population are (Anna Daly).

Studying the role of indoor air pollution exposure in maternal mental health outcomes in a rural and low-income setting (Meghan Davis).

For more information, get in touch with Dr. Kristin Hadfield at mkristin. hadfield@tcd.ie.

Congratulations to Dr Petya BogdanovaMihaylova, being awarded funding from the Spark Hospital Innovation Fund Dr Petya Bogdanova-Mihaylova

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A neurology project led by Dr Petya Bogdanova-Mihaylova, Consultant Neurologist in TUH, has been awarded funding from the Spark Hospital Innovation Fund for their initiative “Optimising the management of headache patients attending emergency department through facilitated access to outpatient MRIs and rapid access headache clinic to avoid hospital admission”.

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2nd Med Research on Cancer Drug Costs Published

Occupational Therapy and Dementia Research from the Discipline of Occupational Therapy is highlighting positive impact of occupational therapy intervention in improved memory function and satisfaction with managing memory problems among people with Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Subjective memory Complaints.

Below is the link to two papers resulting from the work of Dr Tadhg Stapleton and the occupational therapy departments in St James’s Hospital and Naas General Hospital. Read here and here.

An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of cancer therapies approved in Ireland was published in the European Journal of Health Economics’ April 2022 issue. Conducted by a team of TCD medicine undergraduates, it shows most drugs for which data is available exceeded agreed price limits when seeking public funding. Students involved in this article are Almajed S, Alotaibi N, Zulfiqar S, Dhuhaibawi Z, O’Rourke N, Gaule R, Byrne C, Barry AM, Keeley D, O’Mahony JF. Costeffectiveness evidence on approved cancer drugs in Ireland: the limits of data availability and implications for public accountability.

Eur J Health Econ 23, 375–431 (2022).

Paeds researchers present at PAS 2022!

Dr Geraldine Foley receives TCD MED Research Impact Award

The Molloy Lab has recently presented a range of research projects at the Paediatric Academic Societies in Denver, Colorado in April.

Our researchers, Dr Lynne Kelly, Dr Johana Isaza-Correa, Dr Aoife Branigan, Dr Tim Hurley and Prof Eleanor Molloy presented on their work in neonatal encephalopathy, preterm birth and MISC.

Congratulations to Dr Geraldine Foley, Assistant Professor (Occupational Therapy) who was awarded a TCD MED Research Impact Award to support dissemination and PPI of her work focused on patient and family caregiver decision-making in palliative care.

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Summer Edition

A New book on the medics of Trinity College in the 1960s

This Themost Pulserecent post has been written by an esteemed alumnus John G. Brock-Utne who has edited a book of reminiscences by his fellow class-mates: ‘In 1962, 120 students started pre-med studies at Trinity College. Six years later, in 1968, 50 students qualified. As of December 2021, there are 41 of the original class left. I have been in contact with 34 of these and, of that number, 29 have contributed to a new book telling of the events in their professional lives during fifty years following their Trinity days. Some have included stories of life in the medical school during the pre-medical year and preclinical years, as well as the clinical residency years spent at several of the hospitals of the ‘Federation’ – Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital, the Adelaide Hospital, the Meath Hospital, Dr. Steevens’ Hospital, the Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Mercer’s Hospital and the National Children’s Hospital (the first children’s hospital in Great Britain and Ireland) – along with placements at the Rotunda Hospital, Holles Street Maternity Hospital, and St. Patrick’s Psychiatric Hospital. The clear impact of these experiences, and the impressions created by the many wonderful mentors during those years, pour from these pages, mostly within a humorous context; after all, laughter is a great anxiolytic, and was much needed in regular doses by most of us back then. The final section of the book shows a collection of pictures from our time in Trinity, our internships, and the reunions we have had in Dublin over the years. Also included are copies of our final exam papers, with the editor’s 1962 acceptance letter to TCD and an index of the many wonderful medical personalities, teachers and students mentioned in the text. Inexorably, Trinity modified, reshaped, and tempered our characters and personalities and left its mark upon all of us forever. The medical graduation year of 1968 is exceptional as we went to work in well over 25 different countries and have settled in all SIX of the habitable continents on this planet. We all hope that you will enjoy our reminiscences from our times at Trinity and beyond. “ John G. Brock-Utne (ed.), The medics of Trinity College, Dublin in the 1960s.

Anecdotes, reflections from Dublin and their professional lives (2021).

John G. Brock-Utne, MA, MB, BCh, (TCD) MD, PhD, (Bergen), FCMSA. Professor of Anesthesia, Emeritus , Stanford University Medical Center

St James’s Hospital hosts its first Dementia Research Showcase

Research prize winners Dr Mary-Claire McKenna (L) and Dr Nida Munawar (R); organiser Dr Martha Finnegan (centre)

Summer Edition

The first Dementia, Delirium and Cognition Research and Audit Showcase took place in St James’s Hospital on 21 April 2022, hosted by MISA and chaired and organised by Dr Martha Finnegan and Professor Iracema Leroi of the SJH Memory Clinic. Keynotes included talks from the TILDA team (Dr C Delooze), the PREVENT study (Dr Amy Heneghan), FRAILMATICS (Dr Silvan Knight), and Dementia Trials Ireland (Prof Leroi). There was fine display of over 25 research and audit posters, which resulted in three worthy winners - Dr Mary Clare McKenna, Dr Nida Munawar and Dr Chris Soraghan. A lively panel discussion, chaired

by Professor Brian Lawlor addressed the question: ‘What is the future of dementia research at St Jame’s’. Panellists included Prof Colin Doherty (neurology), Prof Sean Kennelly (medicine of the elderly), Prof Martina Hennessey (Clinical Research Facility) and a lay contributor and active Patient and Public Voice (PPV) contributor, Mr Donnchadh O’Neil. The panel concluded that despite the challenges, the future of dementia research in SJH is promising.

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Prof John O’Leary received the Provost’s Innovation Award

Congratulations to Prof John O’Leary, Chair of Pathology TCD, Consultant Pathologist, St James’s Hospital and Director of Pathology, Coombe Hospital receiving the Provost’s Innovation Award for a recognised international leader in cancer medicine who has made several key findings.

1st Prize winner for Essay Competition The school is proud to announce and to congratulate Rachel Coomey, 4th yr med, for winning 1st Prize for the Mary Ward Traffic Medicine Essay Competition.

Rachel’s essay discussed Long Covid and its Impact on Driving.

The competition is open to all medical and allied health students in Ireland. The competition aims to increase students’ awareness of traffic medicine, and essays must be related to Medical Fitness to Drive.

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Two worthy winners from SoM in the Health Sciences Research Blitz On the 22nd of April, the much-awaited Research Blitz was held in-person at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) with competitions for Ph.D. students, Research Assistants, and Postdoctoral Researchers. Nearly 30 young researchers from across the faculty enthusiastically presented their fascinating research. Participants were allowed three slides to explain their research in lay terms. Competitors were judged for clarity, context and charisma. Judges were Garry Fleming (Dental School), Lidia Tajber (Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences), and Mary Canavan (School of Medicine).

The winners included two members of SoM: Ms Katie Ridge (PhD category) for her work on mast cell progenitors in chronic spontaneous urticaria and Ms Abhisweta Bhattacharjee (RA category) for her work on the Public Patient Voice/Involvement (PPV) led by Professor Iracema Leroi in Global Brain Health Institute.

Summer Edition

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Multi-disciplinary work at the Applied Radiation Therapy Trinity research group contributed to all tracks of the scientific programme of the annual European Society of Radiation Oncology (ESTRO) conference in Copenhagen attended by the staff of the Discipline of Radiation Therapy this May.

Staff in Discipline of Radiation Therapy attend European Society of Radiation Oncology (ESTRO) conference in Copenhagen Practical Psychiatry for Students and Trainees’ by Professor A.M. O’Dwyer and M. Campion ‘This is a welcome addition to the literature for medical students, newly qualified doctors, and very early career psychiatrists. As well as covering basic key clinical skills and information in an accessible way, it provides extremely useful material on professionalism and self-care. This will be invaluable to all doctors starting out and beginning to discover the complexity and rewarding field of psychiatry.’

Karen Lovett, Immediate Past Dean, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK ‘This is an excellent, highly practical book for both medical students and for doctors at the early stages of their postgraduate training in psychiatry. It provides a highly readable overview of the key clinical areas, with use of mnemonics and valuable practical tips such as how to set up the clinical interview and sample phrasing of difficult-to-ask questions. This is combined with relevant reference to the underlying phenomenology and the evidence base’ Anne Doherty, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Editor-in-Chief, Books Programme, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK The illustrations are done by Dr Eoin Kelleher, anaesthetist in training and medical cartoonist. Read more about the book here.

Summer Edition

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The Pulse

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… From airfreight expert to research impact officer – A day in the life of…. Bridget Gavin

By Iracema Leroi

On a rainy Friday afternoon in May, our Editor (IL) spent a fascinating half hour with Ms Bridget Gavin, unveiling the intricacies of her job as a Research Impact Officer. We are sure you will enjoy reading Bridget’s ‘Day in the Life of….’ profile as she describes how she combines art with hard data to tell powerful and attention-grabbing stories. Before joining our SoM, Bridget had over 20 years of experience as a senior manager in Strategic Business Planning, Market Research and Competitor Analysis in Ireland and the UK.

‘...To know your worth and have the confidence to forge your own distinctive message and identity’.

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What exactly do you do in your role as SoM’s impact lead?

My role is essentially customer service, with my customers being the SoM senior management team and researchers.

I need to ensure that we are getting results. That means funding for sustainability, as well as driving research excellence to improve, support and make an impact on people’s health on a local, regional, and global scale. This ultimately affects our university reputation and success – an important factor.

My daily task encompasses two aspects. Firstly, supporting researchers. This involves providing advice, support (as well as cajoling and encouraging!) to identify and secure funding.

With the help of Sinead Duggan, Science Communications Officer, one of my favourite tasks is highlighting and cheerleading success. The joy for all of us comes when someone secures a grant. When not encouraging performance, I inventory a researcher’s profile and help them to improve their impact tracking and guide them how to craft a powerful online digital profile and performance dashboard.

Secondly, I must report on the results and impacts. This involves recording and summarising records of research activity, essentially on spreadsheets, monitoring funding calls applied for, success and ‘deferred success’ rates.

research impact case stories for the SoM COVID-19 brochure in 2020. It was on trend, cutting edge, in real time and reported on a range of over 30 research projects funded, by various agencies, to address the pandemic, including the COVID Hub at TBSI/TTMI. The funded projects ranged from neonatal studies to health policy studies across the island of Ireland.

The report highlighted the relevance of the HRB Clinical Research Facility at St James’s Hospital which was involved in a number of international clinical trials comparing COVID treatment options. Finally, under the leadership of Professor Louise Gallagher, at that time, we generated lots of followers for the School’s twitter account by participating in the global twitter campaign ‘not all heroes wear capes’ to spotlight the work of our academics and clinicians in the pandemic. The key is that it should always be about people – that’s what captures the attention.

What is the greatest challenge you face on a daily basis in your work?

That I can’t do more in my time – there is so much scope and potential to do so much more. The data on researchers’ output is so rich and I want to support them in showcasing their outputs and demonstrating their impact. I also find it hard when I see researchers working so hard and may not get the funding success they deserve. We all know that success often spins on a tuppence or the negative opinion of one evaluator on a panel. So, it’s hard when outcomes don’t go the way you want.

How did you grow up to be a university What gets you out of bed in the morning? research administrator specialising in impact?

I absolutely love my job, so I’m up at 630 every morning. I By being a good salesperson! My background and training are in market intelligence. To be a good salesperson, you have to have a cogent argument – the sales pitch must have robust and authoritative evidence to back it up. All my tasks and previous experience relate to this core idea. As such, I have always dealt with data and information – large volumes of information, both qualitative and quantitative - and analyse this for business intelligence and strategic planning for whatever organisation I have worked for. This requires skills as a data analyst, which I developed in my graduate training in British Aerospace (BAe) where my task was to sell a small military aircraft by convincing buyers that it would make a good cargo plane! To do this, I designed an econometric tool to forecast airfreight traffic to ensure that BAe was an authority on Global Trends in Air Traffic. I became involved in the exciting field of aviation following an MSc in transport planning and management. My father had successfully run commercial transport magazines, so I was following in his footsteps. You see, it’s all about using the data to tell a compelling story – a story backed up with datadriven intellectual rigour. So, it’s both an art and science.

What is the most impactful project you have ever reported?

know this sounds corny but helping people and knowing it’s appreciated – and I get plenty of acknowledgement- and being valued and appreciated is fantastic. It’s also a great intellectual challenge. I’ve told our Head of School – ‘if I’m bored, I’m gone’. There’s no fear of that thus far.

What aspect of your career to date has best prepared you for this role?

I think it’s not being afraid to reach out to people. I’m very direct which has its advantages and disadvantages but being able to forge relationships in the first place and having the confidence to do that is essential.

As a final word, what advice do you have for young researchers to optimise their impact?

To know your worth and have the confidence to forge your own distinctive message and identity. It’s about defining your USP (Unique Selling Point) and then building on that and consolidating it and do not be shy about reaching out for help. And have your pitch nailed down.

Thank you so much, Bridget – it’s been fascinating hearing your ‘Day in the Life…’.

Without a doubt it was my involvement in producing the Summer Edition

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Meet the Team

Iracema Leroi

Michelle Leech

Steve Thomas

Mary O’Neill

mednews@tcd.ie

Lucie Mingmei Hao

Michelle Hendrick