On 9 November, the National University of Ireland (NUI) hosted its annual Awards Ceremony in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on where Dr Maurice Manning, Chancellor of NUI, presented awards to NUI students and graduates valued in excess of €1.2 million.

At the ceremony, nine RCSI students and recent Alumni were among those awarded the prestigious 2016 Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarships and Prizes, with three students winning their overall category scholarship. 

Over 130 students and graduates from the NUI constituent universities, recognised colleges and other NUI member institutions were presented with post-doctoral fellowships, travelling studentships and other awards. As well as RCSI, there were also winners from RCSI Bahrain, Penang Medical College (PMC) and other Irish HEIs - UCD, UCC, Maynooth University, NUI Galway, RCSI, St Angela's College, Sligo and NCAD.

Physiotherapy student, Eleanor Creighton won the prestigious Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Physiotherapy; recently graduated Class of 2016 School of Pharmacy valedictorian, Katie McCormick was awarded the Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Pharmacy. RCSI Medical student, Davina Henderson won the Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

The plaudits didn't stop there as Aya Al-Hasani (third year medical student) won second prize in the Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Biochemistry; in the Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Anatomy, RCSI medical student, Zahraa Al-Sharshahi was highly commended; Shaunna Kelly (RCSI Alumni) received the third prize in the Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Clinical Radiology; and Aisling Wright (RCSI Alumni) was awarded third place in the Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship in Medicine.

Speaking at the event, Dr Manning congratulated the awards recipients and said that it was “a very proud day for the National University of Ireland, one where we can recognise and honour some of the brightest minds and talents across the diverse NUI community”. He went on to say that “to excel at this level, in this company, is a major achievement” where “those receiving awards have competed against the best of their peers across the National University of Ireland, which is the largest element of Ireland's university system”.

In this year when Ireland is remembering the 1916 Easter Rising as the founding moment in the State's history, NUI has also sought to commemorate the Rising in ways particularly appropriate to the University. Special commemorative medals were commissioned to mark this anniversary. These medals were struck in honour of Éamon de Valéra, who played an active role in 1916 and later went on to lead the country as Taoiseach and as President for a significant part of the 20th century. He was also Chancellor of the National University of Ireland from 1922 until his death in 1975. At the awards ceremony each award recipient was presented with a special commemorative medal by the Chancellor.