News Archive

Release date: 10 December, 2001 Partnership Agreement between University and Rural Medical Centre An agreement has been signed between National University of Ireland, Galway and the Turloughmore General Practice of Drs. Brendan Day and Mary Conroy. The agreement confirms Turloughmore Medical Centre as the clinical centre for the Department of General Practice, NUI, Galway. Close co-operation between the practice and the department has occurred over the last three years with Professor Murphy's clinical activity being based there. Dr. Brendan Day stated that 'as a graduate of NUI, Galway, and one of the first graduates of the general practice training scheme in Galway, I am delighted that our practice is to be explicitly linked with NUI, Galway. The link has already proven most beneficial to both the practice staff and patients.' Dr Mary Conroy said that '2001 has proven a significant year for the development of the practice. We are about to move to a new practice premises and, together with the formalisation of the link with NUI, Galway, these are two important practice milestones.' This explicit relationship between a University academic department of general practice and a rural practice is unique in Ireland. Professor Andrew Murphy said that 'the department of general practice in NUI, Galway is supported by the North-Western and Western Health Boards. Both of these Health Boards wished for the clinical centre of the department to reflect the rural nature of much of their community. Having been based for three years in Turloughmore, I am delighted that the relationship has now been formalised and I look forward to further developments.' Prof Jim Browne, Registrar, NUI, Galway said 'the University is very aware of its important leadership role in the Western seaboard region. We would see this strategic alliance as reflecting our appreciation of such a role and warmly acknowledge the support of the North-Western and Western Health Boards to the department of general practice, NUI, Galway.' ENDS Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 7 December, 2001 NUI Galway Academics contribute to New Edition of Anthropological Classic The third edition of a pioneering anthropological text entitled, Family and Community in Ireland, was launched in NUI, Galway today (Friday), by Michael D. Higgins, TD. An extended introduction that brings to light much new material concerning the political, economic and cultural context in which the study was conducted, has been provided by Dr. Anne Byrne, Dr. Ricca Edmondson and Dr. Anthony Varley of the University s Department of Political Science and Sociology Family and Community in Ireland, written by Harvard authors, Conrad Arensberg and Solon Kimball, is based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork among the people of north Clare and the townspeople of Ennis in the years 1932-4. It is a world-renowned social anthropological study of how a traditional rural society functioned in the early decades of the twentieth century. One of Family and Community in Ireland's main purposes was to arouse interest in the possibilities of ethnographic fieldwork methods in settings outside premodern and so-called 'primitive' societies and the societies of the industrially advanced 'modern' world. The outstanding interest in Ireland for authors of Family and Community in Ireland lay in the fact that it was still an overwhelmingly rural society in Europe that could be located somewhere in between the pre-modern 'primitive' world and the industrial advanced societies. Family and Community in Ireland provides a detailed study of family and kin, of life and work, of mutuality in social and economic relationships among the small farmer class. Its authors reveal a story of the importance and centrality of the family as a social and economic system, which produced and reproduced a self-sufficient, traditional rural community. Documenting the 'minutiae of social life', this book represents a view of the 'Old World from the inside' by two 'outsiders' from the 'New World', 'a document expressing a point-of-time in the social life of rural Ireland'. This third edition of Family and Community in Ireland is accompanied by new material which allows us to reconstruct the day-to-day experiences of the anthropologists during their time in County Clare. Both the book and its new introduction provide the general reader and the social science student with an opportunity to reassess the significance of this classic text. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 10 December, 2001 IMPORTANT NEW FINDINGS ON IRISH RURAL GENERAL PRACTICE Irish rural practitioners, in comparison to their urban colleagues, work longer hours, have more public patients, are more likely to work from purpose built premises which are publicly owned and participate more in a team approach to patient care delivery. The results of a national census on general practice in Ireland, with an emphasis on rural general practice, has just been published in the international journal Family Practice. The project was conducted, with the significant support of the Irish College of General Practitioners, by Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn (Assistant Academic Director, Department of Health Promotion, NUI, Galway), Professor Andrew W Murphy, (Professor of General Practice at NUI, Galway) and Professor Cecily Kelleher (Professor of Health Promotion at NUI, Galway). Completed questionnaires were returned from 2,093 General Practitioners which was an 86% response rate. Information on 1429 practice centres were provided; 34% of these were designated as city, 28% as town and 38% as rural. Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn said : 'We were especially pleased with both the high quality and quantity of responses to this census. This could only have occurred because of the significant support which the Irish College of General Practitioners provided to the study'. The mean number of public or 'GMS' patients per general practitioner was 740 for city, 818 for town and 865 for rural locations. Professor Andrew W Murphy commented that : 'Public perceptions of poverty are dominated by urban images yet the health implications of poverty are universal and irrespective of location. Combining these figures with the distances which patients live from acute hospitals emphasises the workload implications of rural poverty for General Practitioners. 70% of rural practitioners have weekly contact with a public health nurse; this compares to 30% and 38% for city and town practitioners respectively. 54% of rural practitioners have weekly or monthly contact with a community psychiatric nurse; this compares to 30 and 39% for city and town colleagues respectively. The quality of these contacts is described much more positively by rural practitioners. Professor Andrew W Murphy said that : 'The recent primary care strategy emphasised the importance of teamwork. The results of this study suggest that what levels of teamwork currently exist in Ireland, do so largely in rural areas. Consideration of these rural primary care teams is worthwhile if the aspirations of the teamwork approach as outlined in the strategy are to be implemented.' Smaller and more regional studies of rural practice from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and the United States have found broadly similar results. Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn stated that : 'This means that, irrespective of the prevailing health care system, rural practice appears to have distinctive characteristics. Specific programmes to support the development and delivery of rural general practice are therefore appropriate.' Mr. Fionán Ó Cuinneagáin, Chief Executive of the Irish College of General Practitioners, commented: 'The results of this important study emphasise the unique role which Irish rural general practitioners play in the delivery of healthcare in this country. For this role to continue, and to develop, it is important that substantial support be given to rural practitioners in reducing excessive workload and guaranteeing locum coverage and the provision of distance learning programmes. It also highlights the important contribution which academic general practice can make in the formulation of policy development.' sor Andrew Murphy is available for interview on the findings of the national census ENDS Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418 Professor Andrew W Murphy, Department of General Practice, NUI, Galway Tel : (091) 750470

Release date: 3 December, 2001 Announcement of New Chair of BioMedical Engineering Science at NUI Galway NUI, Galway wishes to announce the appointment of Dr. Terry Smith as the first Professor of Biomedical Engineering Science and Director of the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science (NCBES) which is also based on campus. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and Oxford University, Professor Smith has been General Manager of the National Diagnostics Centre, NUI, Galway since 1994. His major research interest is focused on using functional genomics approaches to investigate the molecular basis of human disease, in particular, human reproductive disorders. As Director of the NCBES, Professor Smith s main priority will be to lead the development of a world-class research Centre in Biomedical Engineering Science. "This goal will be achieved through the development of interdisciplinary research programmes within the Centre in selected areas where significant expertise already exists, and by establishing research collaborations nationally and internationally with key research Institutes and researchers. Through our interdisciplinary approach, the NCBES will establish itself as a world-leader in key areas of Biomedical Engineering Science research", he said. Professor Smith s other priorities include the development of collaborative research programmes with local and national biomedical and biotechnology industries and to harness the expertise within the NCBES towards the development of novel diagnostics tests and treatments for human disease. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 21 December, 2000 Poland honours NUI Galway Lecturer Dr. Oliver Ryan, a lecturer at the Department of Education, National University of Ireland, Galway has been awarded "The Knights Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland" (Krzyz Kawalersky Orderu Zashugi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej). The Polish Ambassador Janusz Skolimonwski, made the presentation on behalf of the Polish Government, at a reception in NUI, Galway, hosted by Professor Ruth Curtis, Vice-President for Development and External Affairs. Dr. Ryan has been working closely with a number of Polish Universities and Teacher Training Colleges since 1991. He has co-ordinated five major TEMPUS programmes, on behalf of the EU and during that time, has organised programmes in NUI, Galway for 407 students and 264 lecturers from the various colleges. The programmes included English Language Teacher Training; European Life and Institutions; Modernisation of Primary Health Care in Poland; and Poland and the European Union. All of the programmes resulted in a restructuring of courses in the Polish Colleges and in the provision of additional teaching equipment. In 1995 NUI, Galway signed protocol agreements with the Universities of Poznan and Katowice. Dr. Ryan has already been awarded the Marie Curie Medal (1993) by the University of Lublin, The Medal of Honour (1994) by the University of Silesia and the Medal of Distinction (1997) by AMU University. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Office, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750

Release date: 20 December, 2000 Major award for NUI Galway Human Rights Expert Professor William Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, which is based in NUI, Galway has been awarded the Medal of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. The presentation was made at an International Conference in Johannesburg, where Professor Schabas was delivering a paper on "Fair Trial and Fit Punishment: How International Human Rights is Transforming Criminal Justice". The opening address of the conference was delivered by former South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela. The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law is an international non-governmental association of judges, legislators, lawyers, academics, and governmental officials, who have come together to work actively on the administration of criminal justice both in their own jurisdiction and internationally. The Society publishes the Criminal Law Forum , whose current editor in chief is Professor William Schabas. The Forum is intended to promote new thinking about the fundamental principles of criminal law, to encourage comparative criminal law analysis, and trace the development of new international criminal law. Established in 1987, when over 200 experts from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, other Commonwealth Countries, the United States, Europe, and Israel, gathered at the Inns of Court in London, to discuss the reform of criminal law and the criminal justice system, the Society encourages joint research and policy development among individuals and government bodies from different jurisdictions. The Society participates as a professional organisation in the work of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program, through the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council. Members of the Society have participated in numerous UN meetings. In September 1991, the Society was accorded observer status on crime problems, by the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Society s participation in the work of the Council in this area provides criminal justice policy makers in Europe with another valuable link with their counterparts in the jurisdictions in which the Society has members. Professor Schabas recently published Genocide in International Law, which is currently being used by lawyers dealing with the criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 11 December, 2000 NUI Galway establishes unique initiative with Polish College NUI, Galway has been co-operating with the prestigious Wroclaw University of Technology (WUT) in Poland for more than seven years under the EU Tempus Programme, whereby students and staff from Wroclaw came to Galway to study. However, Irish students tended to favour the UK, US, France and Germany for their study-abroad periods. That is now set to change as a result of a new agreement signed between NUI, Galway and Wroclaw University, with the support of a Polish bank. Academic staff from WUT visited Galway last week to attend a function in the Universiry marking the signing of the new agreement. The agreement provides for six NUI, Galway undergraduate students (mainly from the Faculty of Engineering) to go to Poland for their Professional Experience Programme activity. Four Polish postgraduate students will come to Galway to undertake Masters or Doctoral studies in the Faculties of Science or Engineering. The distinctive element of the agreement is the support of Bank Zachodni, WBK, AIB Group, Wroclaw. The total cost of the initiative is estimated to be £130,000, with Bank Zachodni providing £38,000 over a three-year period and NUI, Galway supplying the remainder. "We are delighted to be partners with this prestigious university. Wroclaw University of Technology with its 27,000 students is an exciting and pioneering institution in a country which is perceived as the economic leader in Eastern Europe", said Professor Ruth Curtis, Vice-President for Development and External Affairs at NUI, Galway. "I believe the benefits of this new agreement to students of both universities will be most beneficial and worthwhile". Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418