Spotlight On: Jennifer Dillon & Ellen O'Donovan
We are delighted to introduce Jennifer Dillon and Ellen O'Donovan, two Veterinary Medicine undergraduates who have been involved in ongoing research in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine. Below, you can find out more about their journey into the worlds of Veterinary Medicine and Research.
Jennifer Dillon
I was born in Dublin although I have lived most of my life in Athlone. From a young age, my dream was to become a vet. I always felt comforted by the company of animals. In my own home, we have a rescue border collie, a rescue cat and five rescue hens.
Over the years, I have developed a passion for Veterinary Medicine as I was always interested in the health of our pets. I was conscious of my lack of knowledge and skills when the need to help them arose. I live in a rural area and I have often encountered injured wildlife. Seeing animals suffer and being unable to help them had a profound effect on me. This led to my decision to apply for Veterinary Medicine at UCD.
Apart from my academic studies, I also play music - I play violin and piano and recently I have started learning drums. Later this month, I will be participating in a fundraising concert, 'Christmas in June,' for the charity Brain Tumour Ireland.
Ellen O'Donovan
I spent the first five years of my life in Cork City before moving to West Cork. If we hadn't relocated to the countryside, I don’t think I would be on the path I’m on now to becoming a vet. My father is a farmer who breeds limousine cattle, and my mother is a medical doctor. Thus, I have essentially combined their two careers and arrived at the veterinary discipline. Growing up, my hobbies included playing the fiddle, sea swimming, coastal rowing, and horseback riding. Despite excelling in rowing and winning two All-Ireland medals, my true passion has always been horseback riding.
My interest in research was sparked in transition year at secondary school when I undertook my first research project titled 'The Relationship Between Diet and Perceived Stress in Secondary School Students.' My work, carried out under the supervision of Professor Ted Dinan at University College Cork and Professor Helene McNulty at Ulster University, won awards at the BT Young Scientist and SciFest competitions. This experience solidified my desire to study Biology at university. However, the opportunity to practise clinical medicine and interact with patients was what ultimately led me into Veterinary Medicine.
At this point, I am unsure of what type of vet I want to become, but I am loving the course despite finding it challenging at times. I still find time to keep up with my old hobby of horseback riding when I go home for the summer, reuniting with my 20-year-old pony, Captain. Since starting vet school, I have taken up jogging with my classmates as a way to socialise and stay fit, and I am running my first half marathon at the end of July and, of course, I love socialising at the Vet School satellite campus, Ryan’s on Camden Street.
Jennifer & Ellen
Working together for the past year and a half, we have carried out a research project concerning the detection of diseases such as cancer through the use of a powerful imaging technique called Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM). We demonstrated the extensive capabilities of FLIM in early diagnostics, offering a superior alternative to the traditional diagnostic methods still commonly used today.
We are very fortunate to be guided step-by-step through the world of research by Dr Sourav Bhattacharjee from the School's Veterinary Biosciences Section. We had the privilege of collaborating with researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) and UCD Conway Institute. Under Sourav’s mentorship, we have gained hands-on experience with advanced equipment, such as the Leica Stellaris 8 STED/FLIM/confocal system located in RCSI.
Our research journey has also provided us with the opportunity to present our work at various events. We presented our findings at the Dean's Lunchtime Clinical Club in the School of Veterinary Medicine, and in January 2024, we were honoured to deliver a talk at Microscopy Ireland’s Annual Conference at the University of Limerick.
We would both highly recommend that anyone with even a slight interest in research contact staff in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine to inquire about research opportunities for students. They are incredibly helpful and can offer some amazing opportunities!