On 7th June, Prof Colum Dunne (SOM Director of Research) and colleagues in University Hospital Limerick and, separately, Dr Patrick O’Donnell (Research Fellow) with SOM co-investigators won Medals at the prestigious Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland (RAMI) Research Awards held in the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (Dublin).
Prof Dunne and colleagues’ Medal was awarded for a paper published in the Journal of Hospital Infection that describes use of point of care testing, over three Flu seasons/years, to identify infected patients when they presented at the UHL Emergency Department. This allowed them to be isolated from other patients and staff, and to successfully reduce risk of transmission of Flu in the hospital. This work also highlighted potential use of the technology for COVID patients. The Medal was for best medical microbiology paper published in 2020 or 2021.
Dr O’Donnell’s Medal reflected work with co-investigators that was published in PLOS One, and focuses on social exclusion. More specifically, the paper detailed engagement with stakeholders across Ireland to determine how they defined and conceptualised social exclusion. The outcomes included development of a new model that complemented existing understanding of social exclusion while identifying new opportunities for improvement. The Medal was for best general practice paper published in 2020 or 2021.