The RCSI 2022 winter conferrings continued this week with two ceremonies held at the RCSI campus on St Stephen’s Green, where over 240 candidates received qualifications in primary healthcare, as well as postgraduate academic awards.

The morning ceremony saw candidates from the full-time undergraduate programme of Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Pharmacy and the BSc in Physiotherapy. There were also graduates from RCSI’s Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Obstetrics and BSc in Medical Sciences programmes.

Addressing the graduands, RCSI President Professor Laura Viani said: “The legacy of healthcare innovations by our alumni over our 238-year history illustrates how each and every one of you has the potential to shape the delivery of excellence in patient care. You are now in a most exciting place as you embark on the next phase in your professional life, my warmest congratulations to you all on your wonderful achievement.”

The conferring celebrations concluded with the Postgraduate Awards Degree ceremony, which saw 112 candidates graduate. Among the degrees awarded were Masters in Pharmacy (MPharm) and MSc in Technologies and Analytics in Precision Medicine by the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences as well as degrees of Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Philosophy (PhD). Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas in Health Professions Education were also conferred.

During this ceremony, Professor Rose Anne Kenny was awarded an honorary doctorate by RCSI Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at RCSI, Professor Hannah McGee. Professor Kenny, Regius Professor of Physic and Professor of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin is the founding Principal Investigator of Ireland's largest adult population study on the experience of ageing in Ireland – The Irish LongituDinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) – and has over 600 scientific publications to date. She was described by Professor McGee as “an unparalleled contributor to clinical research on ageing”.

Congratulating all those graduating on their success, RCSI Vice Chancellor Professor Cathal Kelly, said: “Your conferring today is a wonderful celebration of your achievements and a tribute to each and every one of you. The recent years have been immeasurably challenging and your hard work, resilience and dedication to improving human health will be long remembered.”