The Student Summer Research Awards (SSRA) 2024 took place over two special nights. On Tuesday 17 September, 130 students presented their research posters to UCD faculty and staff members. The top 9 students were then chosen to present at the Gold Medal Night held on Wednesday 25 September.
The SSRA programme is an undergraduate research initiative to support and showcase Undergraduate Research affiliated within the UCD School of Medicine. SSRA is a five credit eight-week elective module, which provides an ideal opportunity for undergraduate students to undertake a supervised research project.
There was a terrific level of talent on display. A huge congratulations goes to Patrick Morris for his project titled, 'Quantifying the financial and healthcare impact of respiratory syncytial virus; a review of all cases admitted to Children's Health Ireland over a 3-month period during 2023'. Patrick's supervisor was Dr Martina Healy and the research location was Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin.
Congratulations to Razan Alborhan who won the Silver Medal for her project titled, 'The
effects of MITOQ on sperm quality'. Razan's supervisor was Prof Sabine Koelle and the research location was UCD School of Medicine and University of Munich, Germany.
Congratulations to Róisín Sheehy who won the Bronze Medal for her project titled, 'Profiles, needs and survival of women diagnosed with cervical cancer on the Road to Care programme at Hospice Africa Uganda'. Róisín's supervisor was Dr Janepher Nyakake and the research location was Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa, (Hospice Africa Uganda), Kampala, Uganda.
The medals were presented by the School of Medicine's Associate Dean for Research Innovation & Impact, Professor Cormac Taylor.
The nine finalists were as follows:
| # |
Name |
Abstract Title |
| 1 |
Suveera Batra |
SMALL MOLECULE, BT2, EFFECTIVELY REDUCES PRO-FIBROTIC GENE EXPRESSION IN LX2 HEPATIC STELLATE CELLS |
| 2 |
Ayush Amish Patel |
GLEASON GRADE RESTAGING AFTER PROSTATECTOMY IN IRELAND COMPARED TO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES |
| 3 |
Roisin Sheehy |
PROFILES, NEEDS AND SURVIVAL OF WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH CERVICAL CANCER ON THE ROAD TO CARE PROGRAMME AT HOSPICE AFRICA UGANDA |
| 4 |
Charlotte Cody |
THE EFFECT OF COX-2 DEPLETION IN MUCOSAL MAST CELLS ON THE ATHEROSCLEROTIC BURDEN IN A HYPERLIPIDAEMIC MOUSE MODEL |
| 5 |
Cyril kazan |
LIPID NANOPARTICLE-ENCAPSULATED ANTISENSE OLIGONUCLEOTIDES TARGETING A NON-CODING RNA FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS TREATMENT: FIRST CHARACTERISATION OF THEIR EFFECT ON REVERSE CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT |
| 6 |
Dearbhla McDonnell |
DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND NEEDS OF HOSPICE AFRICA UGANDA’S LONG-TERM CANCER SURVIVORS |
| 7 |
Abigail Hii |
DEVELOPING NEW WAYS TO TREAT MYCOBACTERIAL INFECTIONS |
| 8 |
Patrick Morris |
QUANTIFYING THE FINANCIAL AND HEALTHCARE IMPACT OF RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS; A REVIEW OF ALL CASES ADMITTED TO CHILDREN’S HEALTH IRELAND OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD DURING 2023 |
| 9. |
Razan Alborhan |
THE EFFECTS OF MITOQ ON SPERM QUALITY |
Awards:
The award for the Alfred Myles Smith Bursary for the best project relating to Cardiology, Cardiac surgery, Vascular Surgery, Vascular Medicine went to:
Clare O’Connor Summer Student Scholarship in Respiratory Research:
Kathleen Lynn Summer Student Scholarship:
UCD School of Medicine SSRA Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine Scholarship:
The Gaensler Scholarship:
Poster Prize Winners – For the best poster (no presentation)
1st Place: Eoin McCoy - DEVELOPMENT OF A GENE-ACTIVATED SCAFFOLD FOR SPINAL CORD INJURY REPAIR APPLICATIONS
2nd Place: Ka Yan Alison Chao - WHY DO PATIENTS SEEK EMERGENCY CARE FOR PROBLEMS THAT COULD BE MANAGED IN PRIMARY CARE? A SCOPING REVIEW
3rd Place: Beryl Arnould - A STUDY INVESTIGATING SEARCH AND RESCUE DOGS’ ABILITY TO DETECT HUMAN ODOR IN HISTORICAL GRAVES PRE-1919 AND UNMARKED BURIALS
Well done to all involved and a special thanks to the UCD staff and faculty who organised and judged SSRA 2024.
