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Researcher of the Year Award for Professor William Gallagher
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has named Professor William Gallagher its Researcher of the Year, in honour of his many outstanding achievements in the field of cancer research.
The UCD researcher was awarded the prestigious prize at this year’s SFI Science Summit, held digitally for a second time, an annual event where members of Ireland’s research community come together to celebrate and discuss significant contributions made to science, technology, engineering, and maths.
“I am indebted to the various members of my research group, both past and present, along with other colleagues in academia and industry across the world that I have had the great pleasure to collaborate with,” said Professor Gallagher on receiving the award. “One in two people in Ireland will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Indeed, practically every family in the country is being or has been affected in some way by this complex collection of diseases, including my own. Our cancer research work has been focused on taking new discoveries from the laboratory bench and bringing them closer to clinical implementation.” The Conway Fellow was not the only UCD researcher to be recognised at the 2021 SFI Science Summit, as Dr Dara Stanley was named ‘Early Career Researcher of the Year’, Professor Helen Roche won ‘SFI Mentorship Award’, and ‘Science Image of the Year’ was awarded to Dr Aileen Doran.
Professor William Gallagher
Professor Lambe Recognised for Vaccine Innovation
Pictured with Pat Kenny is Associate Professor Teresa Lambe, who has recognised at the 2021 UCD Alumni Awards. Professor Lambe, a graduate from University College Dublin played a pivotal role in the fight against Covid-19, as the Principal Investigator at the Jenner Institute, which oversaw the University of Oxford's development of OxfordAstraZeneca – a vaccine that has been administered to nearly half a billion people worldwide. The Kildare native worked for 10 months to co-develop the vaccine, leading the pre-clinical studies required to allow clinical trials to commence in April 2020. Professor Lambe, who completed her graduate studies at UCD in 2002 as well as studied pharmacology and molecular genetics at the University in 1997, is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator in the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Oxford.
New Strategy to Strengthen Specialist Doctor Training
The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies has developed a Strategic Framework to guide the further development of postgraduate medical education and training in the decade to 2030.
The Framework is designed to provide leadership and direction while identifying the key areas for immediate and longer-term action, delivered by targeted collaborative initiatives and programs. It will align with identified workforce planning needs and major policy initiatives across the health system in Ireland. This represents the culmination of over two years of consultation and consensus seeking, involving representatives of the Postgraduate Training Bodies and Training Managers, the National Doctors Training & Planning programme of the HSE (NDTP), The Medical Council, The Department of Health, Sláintecare Programme and others in the Healthcare Provider and Academic sectors. It expresses renewed commitment to work collectively and in partnership with all major stakeholders to assure continued excellence in training in Ireland. The vision for future medical training is both patient-focused and trainee-centred. It aligns with the needs of our future health service and acknowledges an ethical commitment to our global health responsibilities. This will yield clear benefits in patient outcomes and justify the continued public investment and expenditure. It is mindful of the lessons of patient experience and recognises the fundamental obligation to earn and sustain trust and confidence in medical expertise. The strategy recognises that doctors of the future will need a skill set which differs from those held by previous generations. The Strategic framework contains five primary initiatives focused on delivering the following: 1) Accelerated, targeted improvements in training for trainees and trainers. 2) Greater collaboration to support more effective teamwork and use of technology to serve patient needs. 3) Collection and use of data to measure training & develop actionable insights to improve training and patient safety. 4) Greater alignment between future healthcare planning and developments within postgraduate training in Ireland. 5) Provide oversight to a programme of strategic investment in Postgraduate
Education and Training.
