RCSI is delighted to announce two new appointments in the areas of medical education and translational medicine.

Professor Raymond L. Stallings has been appointed as Professor of Cancer Genetics and Associate Professor Geraldine MacCarrick will take up a position as Vice Dean of Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Both appointments are the first of their kind in Ireland.

Professor Stallings, a graduate of Texas A&M University, is a recognised leader in the field of genetic organisation of chromosomes. He joins RCSI from the Greheey Children’s Cancer Research Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio.

Prior to this Professor Stallings has held faculty positions at a number of major research centres and universities in Ireland and the United States, including the National Centre for Medical Genetics at OLHSC in Dublin, where he was also a Principal Investigator of the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of California, and the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston.

An author and co-author of over one hundred journals articles, books and book chapters, Professor Stallings is the recipient of numerous grant awards from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, Association of International Cancer Research, and the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation.

Professor Stallings will also hold the position of Principal Investigator at the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation (CMRF) at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children (OLHSC) as part of the RCSI and OLHSC €5 million solid tumour research programme announced last October.

Professor Stallings’ research at RCSI will focus on neuroblastoma, which accounts for approximately 15% of all childhood cancer deaths. It is hoped that his new programme in cancer genetics at RCSI will ultimately be instrumental in the continued long-term survival of paediatric cancer patients.

Associate Professor MacCarrick was the Foundation Director of the Medical Education at the Tasmanian School of Medicine from 2002 to 2007, during which time she led the curriculum reform process which saw the conversion of the traditional six year medical degree programme to a five year integrated case-based course which received full accreditation with the Australian Medical Council.

Prior to that, she held several posts as Director of Medical Services in tertiary and regional hospitals with responsibility for coordination of clinical services. During this time she also worked towards improved teaching and learning outcomes for junior medical staff in hospitals.

Associate Professor MacCarrick worked for many years as a General Practitioner and medical educator with the Australian General Practice (RACGP) Training Programme in urban rural and military settings and served as a Medical Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). She holds Australian fellowships in Medical Administration, General Practice and Rural Medicine.

At RCSI, as Vice-Dean of Medical Education Associate Professor MacCarrick will guide development and evaluation of the undergraduate medical curriculum, staff development initiatives to support best practice in curriculum delivery and assessment and research in medical education.