Modules
Each micro-credential module is worth 5 ECTS. You can complete them as a standalone module and over the course of a maximum of five years, or stack them to achieve a postgraduate certificate or diploma.
Modules for Micro-credential include:
Digital and Connected Healthcare: Fully Online – Commencing August 2024
The Connected Healthcare micro-credential provides the participant with insight, knowledge and situational competence in enhancing and implementing digital healthcare solutions relevant to the world of modern healthcare delivery. The increasing application of connected technology across all aspects of healthcare delivery has created a potential wealth of vital information that can be utilised to improve healthcare outcomes and potentially reduce the cost of healthcare delivery.
It is vital that the healthcare workforce develops a thorough understanding of the application of technology to healthcare systems and disease areas to ensure maximum benefit is derived from technological innovation in a timely manner across the health ecosystem. Importantly, the module focuses not only on the emerging health technologies but also identifies relevant enablers and key considerations to facilitate adoption of digital healthcare solutions across the health ecosystem. To facilitate seamless access across the health ecosystem this micro-credential will be delivered online.
Therefore, this module will cover the concepts and considerations of the development and implementation of connected healthcare across four important sectors:
Clinical: Health systems and digital transformation; patient engagement
Technical: Data acquisition and applications of AI and machine learning in digital health; digital biomarkers, digital therapeutics and tele-health
Regulatory: Regulatory affairs; data privacy, cybersecurity and ethics
Industry: Connected health and the pharmaceutical sector – research and evidence in connected health
Human Genetics/Genomics/Omics Technologies: September 2024
This micro-credential is intended to provide participants with the foundational scientific and clinical knowledge and skills relevant to engaging with genomic data. As science has progressed and as we have arrived in the era of precision medicine, an understanding and appreciation of genomic data is taking on even greater importance in the clinical and pharma industry settings as we strive to develop individualised therapies (precision medicine) that lead to enhanced patient outcomes. The basis of precision therapeutics is high-resolution molecular profiling. This requires a deep understanding of genomics and the mutational process.
This micro-credential provides participants with the conceptual framework for understanding and engaging with genomics information. Participants, upon completion of this micro-credential, will have gained a deep understanding of the key concepts of genomics (genome structure and cell division; molecular processes that regulate gene and protein expression and human genetic variability and its consequences) and developed an understanding of the techniques and applications of omics technologies (molecular genomic analysis methods and introduction to next-generation sequencing; cytogenetics; protein-based omics – proteomics, metabolomics; nucleic acid-based omics – epigenomics, transcriptomics, genomics).
Leadership Development – September 2024
Employees in the broader pharmaceutical/biotech industry need an understanding of business and management in order to flourish. This micro-credential is designed to give participants a grounding in management and allow them to bridge the knowledge gap between business and science. This micro-credential will provide participants with the knowledge and understanding of how to develop leadership competencies and capabilities. In addition, participants will develop an understanding of how teams operate and how to lead innovative high-performance teams and build rapport and innovation among team members. This is a four-week module, beginning in September 2024.
This micro-credential is focused on three main themes:
Personal leadership development – leadership theories – personal leadership development – self-management
Leadership and teams – teams and teamwork – communication and relationships – feedback and conflict resolution
Leadership and the organisation – organisational structure – organisational culture – change management
Bioinformatics and Biostatistics – October 2024
The invention and application of high-throughput technologies in biological and medical research generates significant volumes of data. The requirement for analysis and interpretation of 'big data' has led to a demand for training in data analytics and computational biology. Advances in methodologies in the complementary fields of data analytics and computational biology fundamentally require an in-depth knowledge of both bioinformatics and biostatistics.
This micro-credential seeks to introduce participants to the core concepts of bioinformatics and to provide participants with an introduction to biostatistics. Upon completion of this microcredential particpants will have gained an understanding of the origin, retrieval, analysis and interpretation of information contained within biological databases containing protein and DNA sequences. In addition, upon successful completion of this microcredential participants will be equipped with the statistical skills and knowledge to appropriately interrogate these data. These skills are of direct relevance to the development of new medical technologies/therapeutics by the biopharma and related industries, which will enhance patient outcomes This is a four-week module, beginning in October 2024.
Contemporary Issues in Healthcare – November 2024
As science and healthcare develop at an increasingly rapid pace, there are emerging issues in society and healthcare that impact patients and their care. This micro-credential will facilitate an understanding of key emerging issues in healthcare and society at national and international levels. It will examine key policy changes in Ireland and the EU that have impacted citizens and the healthcare system. It will explore the relationship between group membership, social class and healthcare. Participants will reflect upon the conflicts/challenges triggered by ever-increasing demands from citizens and international policymakers for sustainable healthcare, and will consider how the above challenges provide possible opportunities for their own careers in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. This is a four-week module, beginning in November 2024. The micro-credential is structured around two main themes:
Introduction to our social worlds – healthcare in/equality
Social groups – issues of recognition and rights; race, ethnicity and identity in Ireland; human-centred design
Innovation: Translating the Concept – January 2025
The Innovation: Translating the Concept micro-credential enables participants to understand the process required in developing innovative products, services and technologies to support the healthcare system. This micro-credential will contribute to the exploration of the participants' own creative and innovative abilities and will encourage participants to be innovative in their career. This behaviour may reflect action in the role of independent entrepreneur or working in healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical or device companies. This micro-credential is designed to introduce participants to the concept of creativity and innovation and furnish them with the skills and knowledge necessary to recognise and evaluate commercially viable opportunities. It also provides an understanding of how innovation needs to be integrated with strategy and the importance of effective leadership for innovation to develop in organisations. This micro-credential examines and discusses the topic of innovation in (bio)pharmaceutical/biotech. It aims to develop participants’ creative and innovative skills. These skills provide a framework for exploring and exploiting viable innovative opportunities thus generating new sources of value. It will provide a broader perspective and insights into the development of innovation in (bio)pharmaceutical/biotech organisations.
The micro-credential is delivered around four main themes:
Creativity and innovation
Innovation in context
Managing and leading innovation in (bio)pharmaceutical/biotech – a strategic approach
Bringing it all together – a practical approach.
This is a four-week module, beginning in January 2025.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in the Healthcare Setting – February 2025
The ability to collect, share and analyse large amounts of data allows scientists/clinicians to generate actionable insights that could prove to be beneficial to clinical research and clinical practice. The integration of current clinical practices and research has also resulted in generation of vast quantities of data. Utilising artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-based approaches provides a vital tool to analyse this data that could inform clinical practice. This micro-credential is intended to provide the participant with foundational knowledge on various AI- and ML-based approaches and their application in performing data science in the healthcare setting. In this micro-credential the participant will first develop an understanding of the concepts and approaches used in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-based algorithm development and subsequently develop competency in the application of AI and ML approaches in biological data analysis. This micro-credential is intended to provide foundational knowledge of various AI and MLbased approaches and their application in data science as applied to the healthcare setting.
Digital and Connected Healthcare (hybrid): March 2025
The Connected Healthcare micro-credential provides insight and knowledge in enhancing and implementing digital healthcare solutions with a foundational knowledge in artificial intelligence and machine learning, its approaches and application. There is a focus on software as a medical device, analysing the drivers, enablers and barriers to connected health. The course will also provide you with insights into the internet of medical things, encouraging you to apply the concepts to clinical pathways and review and critique current applications. This is a four-week module, beginning in March 2025.