Dr Spencer Johnson, Medicine Class of 1968 and bestselling author of ‘The One Minute Manager and ‘Who Moved My Cheese?, took the stage with Irish broadcasting veteran, Pat Kenny on Thursday 29th October in RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland). The event marked the launch of the new ‘In conversation with... series which will showcase RCSI alumni and other inspiring role models who are front-runners in their field, celebrating those who have been successful as healthcare innovators and global thought-leaders.

Ms Aíne Gibbons, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, RCSI said: "We are honoured to welcome an RCSI alumnus who is one of the worlds most respected authors, Dr Spencer Johnson, to launch our inaugural event and look forward to announcing an exciting line-up of more thought-provoking speakers as the series continues into 2016 and beyond."

Sharing his books fundamental theme of "simple and obvious ways to reduce stress", Dr Johnson and Pat Kenny engaged in a lively dialogue including audience interaction, as they discussed strategies for successfully dealing with change and why Dr Johnson turned from a fascination with illness to a focus on life. More than 100 alumni are expected to attend the event.

Whilst he did not pursue a traditional medical career path Dr Johnson attributes much of his original thinking to his education in RCSI where he was exposed to a variety of people from many different countries and varying points of view; diversity that RCSI celebrates to this day.

Originally from the USA, and currently living in Hawaii, Dr Johnson graduated with a medical degree from RCSI in 1968. While in Dublin, he wrote for student journals and edited a book with radiologist, Dr Max Ryan for publication in a series he himself created: Moments with Medicine. He interned in Canada and was accepted for an ear, nose and throat surgical residency at the Mayo Clinic. However, Dr Johnson decided to focus on a career as a writer and in 1969, he was appointed director of special projects for the Journal of Modern Medicine.

Dr Johnson found his true calling as an author and has sold more than 50 million books, translated into 47 languages worldwide. His 13 New York Times bestsellers include the #1 titles Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change, and The New One Minute Manager: The Worlds Most Popular Way to Manage Your Work and Life. In 1981, Dr Johnson co-authored The One Minute Manager, which remained on the New York Times best-seller list for more than three years.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

First graduates of the RCSI Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education to be conferred

RCSI (The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) will confer 832 students with undergraduate degrees and postgraduate awards at four conferring ceremonies beginning tomorrow in RCSI and continuing on Monday at the RDS, Dublin. Among those graduating will be the first cohort of candidates from the new RCSI Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education.

All ceremonies will be live-streamed and the link to view will be available via the homepage of the RCSI website shortly before the commencement of each of the ceremonies.

The celebrations will begin tonight with the Conferring Dinner for pharmacy and physiotherapy undergraduates and higher degree candidates from the School of Postgraduate Studies. More than 135 candidates and guests will attend the dinner which takes place in the College Hall at 7.30pm. A commemorative video, created to mark the special occasion of the graduation of the class of 2015, will also be unveiled at the dinner.

The ceremonies commence at 11am tomorrow morning in RCSI, 123 St Stephens Green with the conferring of 90 candidates from full-time undergraduate programmes including medicine, physiotherapy and pharmacy.

At tomorrows 2pm ceremony 20 candidates will be conferred with the RCSI Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education, which is being awarded for the first time. Graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Factors in Patient Safety will also be conferred. 78 candidates will be awarded doctoral and masters degrees at the ceremony. These will be conferred with Masters of Surgery (MCh) and higher degrees by research including MSc, MD and PhD; and MSc Healthcare, Ethics and Law.

The Friday afternoon ceremony will conclude with a special award from the National University of Ireland (NUI) for Professors Aidan Bradford and Hannah McGee, who will be conferred with a Doctor of Science (DSc) in Published Work. This doctorate is the highest qualification awarded by NUI in recognition of scholars who have published a substantial body of ground-breaking and influential work and who have achieved outstanding distinction internally in their field of specialisation.

On Monday 9th November, the first ceremony commences at 11am in the RDS with the conferring of 393 candidates with postgraduate degrees in Nursing and Midwifery. A number of awards will be presented at the ceremony including the National Florence Nightingale Committee of Ireland Award, Mary Frances Crowley Award, the Rose Lanigan Medal and Catherine Cummins Gold Medal.

The final ceremony takes place at 3.30pm on Monday in the RDS with the conferring of 246 candidates at the Masters Degree ceremony. Those conferred include a Masters in Pharmacy (MPharm), MSc Industrial Pharmaceutical Science and MSc in Bereavement Studies. Institute of Leadership programme candidates being conferred include MSc Healthcare Management, MSc in Leadership, MSc in Leadership in Health Professions Education and MSc in Quality & Safety in Healthcare Management.

Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO/ Registrar, RCSI said: "The upcoming conferring ceremonies are a wonderful celebration and recognition of our graduates accomplishments which they have achieved through outstanding ability, diligent application, sacrifice, excellent teaching and, in particular the support of family and friends. I would like to congratulate everyone here today on their achievements and wish them success in their careers as healthcare professionals."

"The graduation of the first cohort of candidates from the RCSI Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education is an important development for the College and a testament to the dedication of our staff members in the ongoing development of their teaching capabilities. This new qualification underscores RCSIs commitment to the professionalism of teaching, learning and assessment within our programmes," Professor Kelly concluded.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) has launched a new interactive live-streamed broadcast for second-level students called ‘So You Want To Be A Doctor? The broadcast is a three-part series for students in transition, fifth and sixth year who may be considering a career as a doctor.

The series is presented by Professor Arnold Hill, Head of the School of Medicine, RCSI and will give a unique insight into what life is really like as a doctor by profiling leading healthcare professionals, all of whom began their career by studying medicine. The first episode will be streamed at 6pm on Thursday 19th November.

Over the course of the three episodes Professor Hill will bring viewers to Dublins Beaumont and Rotunda Hospitals, on a journey of discovery and get a glimpse into the lives of doctors who specialise in various medical fields. Students will learn about the work of a number of doctors including an obstetrician, a microbiologist, a gastroenterologist, a neurosurgeon and an orthopaedic surgeon and many more.


Prof Hill will present the three-part series

Commenting on the ‘So You Want To Be A Doctor? series, Professor Hill said, "I am really excited about this series because it will showcase the various options and specialities open to students who study medicine. We want to show young people what some of these specialities involve and this will go a long way in helping students decide if a career as a doctor is for them. Theres no better way to demonstrate this than to show viewers exactly what a day in the life of each of our doctors is like."

Students can also get involved in the broadcast as a live-streamed question and answer session will take place at the end of each episode. In this, Professor Hill will address any comments, queries and questions from the students on studying medicine, being a doctor or on what they have seen in the broadcast. Students can send in their comments and questions via Twitter (@RCSI_Irl) and Facebook using #RCSIBeADoc. Alternatively, they can send them in by email before and on the night to beadoc@rcsi.ie. Prof Hill will try to read out and address as many questions as possible live on air.

Professor Hill continued, "From watching this series, students can get a real insight into what the specialty is like and then have the ability to ask questions they may have on what they see in this programme and get them answered in real-time. This way they can make a better-informed decision when filling out their CAO form or if they are just deciding on what career they want to pursue".

Students can pre-register on the RCSI website at www.rcsi.ie/beadoc and they will be sent a link to the stream via email on the morning of each broadcast. All they have to do then is click on the link at the time of broadcast to watch the broadcast from a PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Or if you do not register in advance, you can still watch the stream on the RCSI website (www.rcsi.ie) or on the Colleges Twitter (twitter.com/RCSI_Irl) and Facebook (facebook.com/rcsi123) pages.

‘So You Want To Be A Doctor? will be broadcast at 6pm on Thursday 19th November 2015, Wednesday 9th December 2015 and Tuesday 19th January 2016.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

The OPTI-SCRIPT research has been presented internationally, and lead author Dr Barbara Clyne, was selected as the winner of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG)/ Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) Travel Award 2014. As the winner, Dr Clyne was invited to present this work at the 2015 SAPC meeting which was held in Oxford in July. The 2016 SAPC meeting will be hosted by RCSI through the Department of General Practice and the HRB CPCR.
Details of current and past work and projects of the Centre for Primary Care Research can be viewed online at www.hrbcentreprimarycare.ie.

The Health Research Board
The HRB is the lead funding agency for innovative health research in Ireland. It also provides evidence to inform policy and practice. Its mission is to support research that improves peoples health, advances patient care and enhances health service delivery. Its research activities can make a real difference to peoples lives by preventing illness, producing new treatments and medical devices and changing approaches to care.

RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)
RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) had a very successful evening at the recent 2015 Irish Healthcare Awards with a number of staff, teams and graduates picking up prizes at the ceremony, held in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, on the 5th November.


Pictured (l-r) is Professor Gerry McElvaney, Laura Fee (Alpha One Foundation), Dr Emer Reeves, Dr David Bergin, Kitty OConnor (CEO, Alpha One Foundation) and Dr Tomás Carroll.

The Respiratory Research Division of the RCSI, Department of Medicine, based in the Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital have had a major success as their paper, The Circulating Proteinase Inhibitor a-1 Antitrypsin Regulates Neutrophil Degranulation and Autoimmunity, was awarded Research Paper of the Year. The team, led by Professor Gerry McElvaney, received their award at a ceremony. The paper, attached, was published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.
The research findings showed how the protein Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) plays an important role in controlling inflammation from white blood cells and its importance for good health.

Congratulations to Professor McElvaney and to all involved in this important paper, particularly lead co-authors of the study, Dr Emer Reeves and Dr David Bergin, as well as RCSI PhD and medical undergraduate students Killian Hurley, Rebecca Wolfe, Ramia Jameel and Sean Fitzgerald. The research was supported by the Medical Research Charities Group / Health Research Board, the Alpha One Foundation (Ireland) and the Alpha-1 Foundation (USA).

The Medical Validation Ireland (MVI) team at RCSI was also commended for their submission into the ‘Best Use of IT category for their Assessment E-Portfolio which they developed for the Qatar Revalidation Project.

A team of young scoliosis patients aged between 16-18 years of age received the Outstanding Achievement award on the night. They completed the impressive feat of scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania earlier this year only months after having corrective surgery on their conditions. The team were led by the Kilimanjaro Achievers climbing group, of which Dr Padraig Sheeran, Dean of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, RCSI and RCPI, is the groups medical director.

Finally, a recent RCSI graduate, Gillian O Brien, who received her MSc in Nursing (Advanced Practice) at the November conferrings, received a commendation for her project, entitled: ‘The relationship between nurses assessment of early pressure ulcer damage and sub epidermal moisture measurement, under her supervisor Professor Zena Moore, Head of the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery.


Gillian is presented with her award

Speaking on the awards, Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO / Registrar, RCSI comment, "I would like to congratulate Prof McElvaney, David and Emer and the rest of their team on their award-winning study. Id also like to extend my congratulations to Paul Nolan, Collette Tully and Darran Cahill at MVI, as well as to Padraig and to Gillian for their successes in their respective awards. Each of these awards are a true testament to how through world-class research, RCSI is driving improvements in human health and also shows the essential part our staff play in developing healthcare leaders who are making a difference.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

Trauma still leading cause of death for under 45s

Trauma is still the leading cause of death and disability in older children and adults under 45 years of age in Ireland (1). For every death associated with trauma, at least a further three patients suffer severe disability (1). Road traffic accidents and falls remain the major causes of trauma and although medical advances in the last number of years have improved patient outcomes, there is still a need to improve how trauma care is delivered across Ireland, according to Mr Declan J. Magee, President of RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland).

Speaking at RCSIs annual scientific meeting ‘Charter Day, the plenary session will address ‘Structuring Definitive Care for Trauma Patients; Now is the Time, Mr Declan J. Magee, RCSI President said: ‘Optimum care for multiply injured patients is time critical and presents a particular health challenge to any health service. There is an urgent need to examine how trauma care is delivered in Ireland to improve the quality of care for trauma patients so that more patients survive with lower levels of disability. To achieve outcomes in line with best practice in countries such as the USA and the UK, there is a need to develop an integrated system of trauma care delivery in Ireland.

Trauma refers to patients that present with serious, often multiple injuries or one life changing injury. Major trauma patients have complex injuries that need expert care in order for them to have the best chance of survival and recovery. Approximately 5000 people suffer trauma annually in Ireland (2).

‘From looking at international best practice, it would appear that Ireland could be best served by a small number of trauma centres, continued Mr Magee. ‘Improvements are needed at all stages of the patient journey; from pre-hospital through to rehabilitation if we are to effectively reduce trauma morbidity and mortality.

The initiative by the HSE and the Department of Health (DoH) to develop a National Trauma Network is welcomed and RCSI - the professional body representing all Surgeons and Emergency Medicine Specialists - believes it can play a critical role, working with the HSE and the DoH to develop an inclusive trauma system for the country.

RCSI has welcomed the establishment of the Major Trauma Audit by the National Office of Clinical Audit. ‘This has been a key initial step in terms of gathering patient outcome data to ensure that trauma service redesign is evidence based. Such data will be of great benefit in shaping an integrated National Trauma Network in Ireland, Mr Magee concluded.

The RCSI Charter Day meeting will host more than 400 local and international surgical delegates. During the Trauma Services plenary session invited speakers will critique current trauma service delivery in Ireland from a variety of perspectives to stimulate a debate that will inform RCSI policy on proposed restructuring of trauma services in Ireland.

A wide range of clinical areas will also be discussed at the meeting including breast and plastic surgery, head and neck surgery, surgical training, innovations in surgery and gender reassignment surgery. The purpose of the meeting is to promote debate and discussion amongst surgeons to highlight best practice and innovation, advances in surgical practice and to discuss issues of relevance to the surgical profession.

On Saturday, the Charter Day Meetings will continue with annual meeting of the Irish Higher Surgical Training Group and the Bosco OMahony Lecture, which will be delivered by Professor Pierce Grace entitled ‘Lifelong Learning. Professor Patrick G. Johnson from Queens University Belfast and Professor Stan J. Monstrey from Ghent University Hospital in Belgium will be conferred with Honorary Fellowships of RCSI at a ceremony in the College on Saturday evening. The Charter Day Meetings marks the 231st anniversary of the foundation of RCSI by Royal Charter.

For further information and to view the full Charter Day programme visit www.rcsi.ie/charterday2015

ENDS

References
1. World Health Organisation, (2009) Guidelines for trauma quality improvement programmes. Available at: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597746_eng.pd.

2. National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) http://www.noca.ie/

RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)s Mens and Womens Volleyball teams participated in a volleyball tournament in Kettering, UK on the 6-8th November. This was the first time RCSI participated in the Volleyball England Student Cup Qualifier Tournament.

"It was an incredible opportunity for every player to participate in a national tournament as well as observe highly trained teams. On Saturday, the mens team had three games against strong English teams. They put up a good fight and had high spirits throughout. Saturday was also a long day of games for the womens team, with four games played, eight sets in total. It was a test of endurance and teamwork to play these teams. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves", said Hussain Khimji, RCSI mens volleyball team captain

Mens Team (pic above): Hussain Khimji, Deepak Karivelil, Ajay Mahajan, Ruheksh Raj, Zheng Kevin Zhou, Soheil Afsharpour, Abdullah Alkandari, Syahir Aizat Noh, Muhammad Syahir Mustafa, Kuok Zhen Lee

Womens Team (pic below): Bethany Ferguson, Sarah Pradhan, Ruth Emmanuel, Krystal Gopeesingh, Nathalie Edmunds, Shannon Wong, Traveen Kaur Singh, Karishma Singh, Tolulope Ola

Both teams played 4 matches each over the weekend. The womens team beat Swansea University as well as the University of Westminster, but lost to University of Leicester and University of East Anglia. Finishing 4th overall.

The mens team lost by just 2 points to a very strong Cambridge Universitys 1st team. They mens team also finished in 4th place overall.

"Both RCSI Mens and Womens Volleyball Teams rallied hard in every set of every match. The teams learned a lot from the matches, faced top tier universities in the United Kingdom, and grew vastly from this experience. Both teams look ahead to more Irish Volleyball League Games and the Annual Irish National Intervarsities Tournament coming up in 2016", said Bethany Ferguson, RCSI womens volleyball team co-captain and coach.

"See it, Do it", an initiative which provides Leaving Certificate students with an opportunity to work in RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) laboratories with RCSI staff and students, conducting biology practical experiments, is taking place during the month of November in RCSI.

The event is part of both Science Week (8th -15th November) and College Awareness Week (23rd - 27th November).

The "See it, Do it" Leaving Certificate Biology Practical Series is an initiative of the REACH RCSI Programme, the Community Outreach and Access Programme of RCSI. Now in its third year, the Series enables students from RCSIs local community of South East Inner City Dublin to carry out mandatory experiments from the Leaving Certificate Biology curriculum such as dissections; isolating DNA from plant tissue; and using a light microscope to examine cells.

Students will gain valuable hands-on experience of experiments and information will be provided on careers in science as well as getting a real insight into life at college, which aims to give the students an added incentive to succeed in their studies.

This collaborative initiative is led by the REACH RCSI Programme Manager, Maria Kelly and Cliona Lyes project worker in partnership with Dr Maria Morgan, MCT, John OBrien, Department of Anatomy and Kate McQuaid, Division of Biology. The initiative is supported by Mary Ledwith, MCT; staff from the Department of Anatomy; and PhD student demonstrators Nicola Kavanagh, Amy Cole, Shane OGrady and William White.

Maria Kelly, REACH RCSI Programme Manager said ‘The "See it, Do it" Leaving Certificate Biology Practical Series gives the students an opportunity to conduct their own hands-on experiments which may not have been possible in their own schools due to limited laboratory resources. We are delighted that the initiative is part of Science Week and College Awareness Week this year and we hope the programme will inspire the students to pursue further education and careers in science.

A central component of the REACH RCSI Programme is the promotion of education, using RCSIs core expertise to supporting the teaching and learning of science at primary and post primary level by facilitating the development of an interest in science and education among individuals from local communities.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

Tonight researchers from RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) will feature in the second episode of the television series "10 Things to Know About..." In this episode, Dr Garry Duffy and Dr Helena Kelly highlight the AMCARE project which is working on advanced stem cell therapy to help regenerate damaged heart cells after a heart attack. This will be aired at 7.30pm this evening on RTE One.

Jonathon McCrea and Garry Duffy in tonights episode

The series is presented by Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, Kathriona Devereux and Jonathan McCrea, who are investigating some of the most exciting and ground-breaking science projects underway in Ireland. Each episode is themed on a certain scientific topic which gives ten key learnings to viewers on that research area. In tonights episode, themed on fear, the presenters will look into what the underlying reasons behind our fears and phobias are and examine how we can learn to control them.

Here is a brief overview of what you can expect to see tonight:

Episode 2 - "10 Things to Know About... BodyTech"
This episode is titled ‘BodyTech - Six Million Dollar Science? and features RCSIs Dr Garry Duffy (Department of Anatomy) and Dr Helena Kelly (School of Pharmacy). In their topic, Can stem cells mend a broken heart?, Jonathon McCrea visits the College to talk to Garry, who is co-ordinating a major EU research project, AMCARE (Advanced Materials for Cardiac Regeneration). Jonathon will also meet Helena, who is deputy co-ordinator of the project. As well as developing new materials that will boost the cells chances of survival, they are designing surgical devices to enable surgeons to deliver stem cells to the patient, and crucially, keep them fixed in the targeted area of a beating heart.

Speaking ahead of tonights episode, Dr Garry Duffy said, "I am delighted for the AMCARE project to be part of the show. The regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies we work on in AMCARE, have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of patients who have suffered a heart attack. We want to develop new technologies to enhance stem cell therapies for these patients by increasing targeting and ease of delivery using advanced biomaterials, hence mending broken hearts."


Dr Helena Kelly and Jonathon McCrea

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

The workshop was organized by the School of Postgraduate Studies (SPGS, Prof. Niamh Moran), Molecular & Cellular Therapeutics (MCT, Prof. John Waddington) and Hoshi University (Prof. Hiroko Ikeda), with Ms. Justina Senkus (SPGS) providing much appreciated administrative support, and was held on 29th-31st October 2015 in Tokyo. Ten members of RCSI received ISCA funding to attend.

The event provided an excellent platform for researchers from both institutions to showcase their work and to network with a view to establishing collaborations. The workshop was opened by an address by Her Excellency Ms. Anne Barrington, Ambassador of Ireland to Japan. A wide range of presentations were made by RCSI PhD students, postdocs and PIs: Dr. Sudipto Das, MCT; Dr. Sinead Heavin, MCT; Dr. Stephen Keely, Molecular Medicine; Dr. Catherine Mooney, Physiology & Medical Physics; Prof. Niamh Moran, SPGS; Justina Senkus, SPGS; Ziga Ude, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry; Prof. John Waddington, MCT; David Walsh, Anatomy; Dr. Atieh Zarabzadeh, General Practice. Researchers at Hoshi University presented their work in the areas of cancer biology, medicinal chemistry, clinical & translational medicine, drug metabolism, neuroscience, pathophysiology & therapeutics and population health sciences.

In addition to the scientific track, keynote presentations on funding mechanisms to support collaborations between Japan and Ireland were made by: Ms. Ayako Maesawa, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, Japan; Mr. Derek Fitzgerald, Director of IDA-Tokyo; Mr. Tom Kuczynski, EU Delegation to Japan. Furthermore, round-table discussions were held, during which researchers shared their scientific experiences and discussed potential collaborations under these Japanese, Irish and EU grant initiatives. The goal is to facilitate joint applications for future grant funding towards innovative, applied research and technologies and to advance the educational mission and international standing of both institutions.

In this hugely entertaining talk, entitled "Ryanair, Always Getting Better", Mr OLeary spoke about how Ryanair consolidated its position as Europes largest airline and has delivered record growth, by improving its customer experience.

Misuse of antibiotics threatens to undermine the progress that has been made in medicine over recent decades as the overuse of antibiotics makes patients less likely to respond to treatment, warns Irelands leading clinicians, today, on European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) 2015. Leaders from medical, veterinary and pharmaceutical professions are gathering today for the fifth annual antibiotic awareness event, which aims to improve practice in antibiotic prescribing and create awareness to antibiotic resistance.

Healthcare professionals from RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) will contribute to todays event entitled "Improving Practice in Antibiotic Prescribing" which is taking place in the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI). The event will involve a plenary session and an interactive workshop which will advise attendees on how to deliver improvements in antibiotic prescribing.

The plenary session will be chaired by Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at RCSI and Consultant Microbiologist at Beaumont Hospital. Dr Fitzpatrick warns that infections caused by many types of antibiotic resistant bacteria are increasing in Ireland, and that the onus is on prescribers to ensure antibiotics are used effectively so their efficacy is preserved for future generations.

She said, "Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to patient safety and to public health. Of course antibiotics are life-saving medicines and modern healthcare would not be possible without them but they have come at a cost, which is antibiotic resistance. As prescribers, it is vital that we apply a rational approach to antibiotic prescribing that maximises the likelihood of successfully treating infections, while minimising the risk of selecting out antibiotic resistance. We need to ‘start smart and following our hospital antibiotic guidelines and after one or two days of treating a patient with antibiotics, consider changing the medication when we have microbiology results or indeed stopping it if it becomes clear that the patients does not have an infection.

‘Also, as educators of future doctors, we need to focus on preparing the prescribers of the future to use antibiotic appropriately. In RCSI in addition to face to face teaching on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance we have recently launched an interactive Technology Enhanced Learning project for intermediate cycle students based around real-life clinical scenarios that takes students through the decision making processes in choosing the correct antibiotics for a particular scenario. Increasing antibiotic resistance and the potential emergence of untreatable infections is the reality for this generation of future doctors so it is really important that they are prepared for their responsibilities in choosing antibiotics wisely in order to preserve antibiotics for future generations.

Ms Deborah McNamara, RCSI Council Member and Consultant Surgeon (General/Colorectal) at Beaumont Hospital will deliver a presentation at the plenary session at todays meeting entitled "Quality improvement: how it works in clinical practice", which will focus on barriers to delivering high quality healthcare and how they may be overcome, emphasising the role of quality improvement methodologies.

Ms McNamara will outline the work she has done, with Dr Fitzpatrick, in Beaumont Hospital to develop improvement capability and increase engagement by front-line staff using the ‘Better Beaumont initiative. The new structures, as part of this campaign have led to a reduction of the rate of surgical site infections on one of Beaumonts busiest surgical wards by 37%.

Dr Robert Cunney, Consultant Microbiologist and HSE/RCPI Clinical Lead warns that a casual attitude to antibiotics is damaging their effectiveness and we are seeing an alarming rise in infections caused by so called ‘superbugs, such as MRSA and multiple-resistant strains of E.coli. He said, "Taking antibiotics when they arent needed means that they might not work when you really need them for a serious infection. Leading clinicians from the HSE (Health Service Executive), general practice, hospital care, surgery, dentistry and pharmacy will attend this event to mark EAAD and to raise awareness amongst health professionals about using antibiotics wisely. We all agree that everyone has an important role to play in ensuring correct use of antibiotics and tackling the global health threat of antibiotic resistance. The evidence is very clear - overuse and misuse of antibiotics has allowed bacteria to develop resistance and they are becoming immune to the drugs we use to defend ourselves against them."

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

• The HSE, in partnership with pharmacists and general practitioners has developed a website, www.undertheweather.ie, which gives practical, common sense advice and information on dealing with many common illnesses like colds, flu, earaches, sore throats, tummy bugs and rashes.Undertheweather.ie provides the sound advice required to give us the confidence and skill we need to take care of ourselves and our families without resorting to antibiotics.

• Antibiotics dont work for colds or flu. If you have a cold or flu, visit www.undertheweather.ie for advice on how to help yourself get better and ask your doctor for advice if you are concerned.

• For easy access to credible health information, download the RCSI MyHealth App from the App Store or Google Play.

If you are prescribed an antibiotic:
• Antibiotics should be used only as prescribed and when needed.
- Antibiotics should be taken exactly as prescribed - at the right time for the right duration. See www.hse.ie/antibiotics

- Always finish an antibiotic course - even if you feel a lot better. This is to ensure that all the bacteria are killed completely and that no survivors are left that could multiply and develop resistance.

- Never store antibiotics and never share with others - antibiotics are specific medication for specific infections so they are likely not to be the correct antibiotic and wont work and also may cause harm (e.g. side effects)

Resources and information for prescribers:
• Antibiotic prescribing guidelines for primary care: can be viewed at www.antibioticprescribing.ie

• The RCSI Hospitals Group Antimicrobial Guidelines can be downloaded for iPhone or Android smartphones.

• RCSI and RCPI Start Smart and then Focus Antibiotic Care Bundle (click to download)

• RCSI and RCPI Preventing Surgical Site Infections Care Bundle

Research from RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) will once again be showcased on the latest episode of RTE television series "10 Things to Know About..." In this programme, which airs tonight at 8.30pm on RTE One, two significant research projects will be highlighted, both based on studies on the human brain. RCSI researchers, Professor David Henshall, Professor Michael Farrell and Teresa Loftus will feature in the show.


Pictured (l-r) is Suzanne Miller-Delaney, Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain and Prof David Henshall

The series is presented by Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, Kathriona Devereux and Jonathan McCrea, who are investigating some of the most exciting and ground-breaking science projects underway in Ireland. Each episode is themed on a certain scientific topic which gives ten key learnings to viewers on that research area. Tonights episode is themed on the human brain.


Kathriona Devereux holds a sample of tissue from RCSIs Brain Bank

Here is a brief overview of what you can expect to see tonight:

Episode 4 - "10 Things to Know About... The Brain"
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. It produces our every thought, action, memory, feeling and experience of the world. But what happens to a persons brain when they get epilepsy? To give viewers an understanding of this, Professor David Henshall will detail his work to presenter Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, where he has conducted the first study to link deterioration of parts of the brain with structural changes in patient DNA and gene activity.

Speaking ahead of tonights episode, Prof Henshall said, "Our research in the epilepsy lab aims to help scientists and epilepsy patients understand what is controlling gene activity in epilepsy so we can potentially prevent seizures from happening in the first place. It was great to show our work to Aoibhinn and Im looking forward to seeing the programme".


Prof Michael Farrell on tonights episode of "10 Things to Know About..."

Then RCSIs Professor Michael Farrell and Teresa Loftus (from the RCSI Department of Neurology and the RCSI Brain Bank) will discuss how the Brain Bank works, what kind of research is carried out in Beaumont Hospital, why researchers from all over Ireland need access to post-mortem brain tissue and what kind of neurological conditions we might be able to tackle as a result.

Prof Farrell, who is Associate Professor of Clinical Neurological Sciences at RCSI and Neuropathologist at Beaumont Hospital, said, "Now that we are all living longer, it is apparent that diseases affecting the brain are becoming more prevalent. The study of brain disease has been dramatically improved by the spectacular developments in brain imaging. However there are limitations to the ability of imaging in the study of brain cells. Fortunately we know that brain cells can be manipulated to give up their mysteries and secrets even after death. Brain Banks are the major source of human brain tissue for neuroscientists throughout the world. Many of the key discoveries in Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease could not have been made without the generous donations of patients and their families to brain banks."

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

Eight RCSI students were among those awarded the prestigious 2015 Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarships and Prizes by the National University of Ireland (NUI) this month. At the ceremony, which took place in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on 10th November, the Chancellor of NUI, Dr Maurice Manning, presented awards valued in excess of €850,000 to graduates and students of NUI.

There were eight RCSI awardees of Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarships and Prizez, double the number of awards made to RCSI recipients in 2014. These were Oludare Alabi, (Scholarship winner, Anatomy); Zahraa Al-Sharshani, (2nd Prize, Anatomy); Sharon Kennedy (3rd Prize, General Practice); Ali Almoanen, RCSI Bahrain, (2nd Prize, Medicine); Sarah Schimansky (2nd Prize, Ophthalmology); Danyal Khan (2nd Prize, Physiology); Ciarán Carney (2nd Prize, Pharmacy); and Kieron Connolly, (2nd Prize, Physiotherapy).

RCSI scholarship and prize recipients pictured at the ceremony

Speaking at the event, Dr Manning congratulated the award recipients and commended their scholarly distinction and ‘outstanding academic achievement. He highlighted the importance of promoting scholars and scholarship as a core aim of NUI, and stated that the University is ‘very pleased to be able to offer this level of support for academic achievement and through its awards to provide opportunities for able students to engage in further studies.

More than 120 students and graduates from the NUI member institutions received awards at the ceremony. RCSI, UCD, UCC, Maynooth University, NUI Galway, St Angelas College and NCAD were represented by award recipients.

Details on NUI Awards to be offered in 2016 will be available from January at www.nui.ie/awards

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht with special responsibility for Equality, New Communities and Culture and Drugs Strategy, visited the RCSI Institute of Leadership on Wednesday 25th November to meet with MSc Leadership postgraduate students. His presentation focussed on leadership from an educational and political perspective and was followed by an interactive question and answer session.

Speaking after the presentation, Dr Samantha Doyle, programme participant said: "It was a great opportunity to hear Minister Ó Ríordáins experience from an educational setting. His ‘Right to Read Campaign is an example of leadership to challenge poor literacy rates in disadvantaged areas".

Sinead Roche Moore, programme participant, commented: "The MSc Leadership programme is an inter-professional group and Aodháns presentation highlighted distributed leadership theory and its relevance across so many different areas of practice."

Pictured (l-r) are MSc Leadership students Sinead Roche Moore and Dr Samantha Doyle with Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD

The MSc Leadership programme is taken over a 2 year period and consists of 47 senior healthcare professionals from various organisations. For more information on the programme visit www.rcsileadership.org.

In July 2014 Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD was appointed as the Minister of State with responsibility for New Communities, Culture and Equality with a brief spread across both the Department of Justice and Equality as well as the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht.

Aodhán was first elected a TD in February 2011 having previously served as a member of Dublin City Council from 2004.Prior to his appointment as a Minister of State he served as Vice Chair of the Committee on Education and Social Protection and a member of both the Finance, Public Expenditure & Reform Committee and the Good Friday Agreement Implementation Committee. He served as Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2006.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook and #251 - 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

Over 200 surgeons attended the annual meeting Millin Meeting in RCSI on 13th November. This year’s theme was ‘Dimensions of Change in Surgical Practice’. View photos from the meeting below.Further information on the Millin Meeting is available here