Even in times of economic hardship, firms are still willing to dig deeper than ever before to reward excellence in the Health Sciences field.

This was obvious, when the awards for the top students in the field of Ophthalmology for the academic year 2008 were presented two weeks ago in the Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital by Professor Lorraine Cassidy, the head of the department. Companies such as Alcon, HSE and John Bannon sponsor the medals on an annual basis for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize recipients respectively, while the first prize winner also receives an ophthalmoscope sponsored by the firm MDI. This year, however, Professor Cassidy was faced with a dilemma with regard to the 1st prize winner, as two students, namely Ciara Maguire and Terence Farrell, were both entitled to the Alcon Gold Medal and Ophthalmoscope from MDI, having each received the exact same marks. Professor Cassidy solved this by approaching the firms MDI and Alcon and requesting, in the interest of fairness, that they make an exception and award both students with a gold medal and an ophthalmoscope. Initially, the firms were a little apprehensive, as they, like everyone else, were doing their best to cut down costs where possible. Eventually, however, both firms agreed. This was not an easy decision for MDI in particular, because normally the 1st prize winner would receive a state-of-the-art ophthalmoscope at a cost of approximately €900 from the company, in this case it cost MDI in excess of €1,800 for the two devices. Professor Cassidy and her team Dr. Sarah Yacoub and Dr. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill were very grateful to the firms for awarding their students’ excellence once again. Dr. Ni Dhubhghaill, herself a former Alcon Gold Medal winner, said in relation to the prize “When I won the medal and ophthalmoscope I knew instinctively that my future lay in the field of ophthalmology”. Since graduating from the School of Medicine, Dr. Ni Dhubhghaill has stayed true to her word and pursued a career in this area. She now works in this field in the Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital and in Tallaght Hospital and is currently adding the finishing touches to her PhD, which she is writing under the supervision of Professor Cassidy.

The award ceremony was an extra special event for the prize winners as it took place a few days before their graduation ceremony from the School of Medicine. Ciara Maguire, joint first prize winner said that she was very grateful to the firms for their sponsorship. Joint first prize winner, Terence Farrell, added that he really enjoyed studying ophthalmology and is at present contemplating a career in the field. Judy Hung Wing, silver medal winner, who hails from China, sees the award as the culmination of years of hard work in one of the top Schools of Medicine in the world. Eimear Joyce, the 3rd prize winner, expressed her gratitude to Professor Cassidy and her teaching team for their expertise and support. The ceremony concluded with a champagne reception hosted by Professor Cassidy.

First Prize Winner, Ciara Maguire, Professor Lorraine Cassidy & First Prize Winner Terence Farrell (Photographer Hugh Nolan)

Dr. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill, 2nd prize winner, Judy Hung Wing & Professor Lorraine Cassidy (Photographer Hugh Nolan)

Dr. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill,  3rd prize winner, Eimear Joyce & Professor Cassidy (Photographer Hugh Nolan)

1st prize winner Ciara Maguire with her parents Mr. & Mrs Maguire (Photographer Hugh Nolan)

Winners from left – 3rd prize winner Eimear Joyce, Joint 1st prize winners Ciara Maguire & Terence Farrell, & 2nd prize winner Judy Hung Wing (Photographer Hugh Nolan)

Dr. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill, 1st prize winner Terence Farrell & Professor Cassidy (Photographer Hugh Nolan)

Dr. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill, 1st prize winner Ciara Maguire and Professor Cassidy (Photographer Hugh Nolan)