1 Million Euro Philanthropic Donation for the First Ever Chair in Neonatology In Ireland

Thursday 25 March 2021

Prof. Eugene Dempsey, the new Horgan Chair in Neonatology, Infant Centre, UCC and Consultant Neonatologist at CUMH, Prof. Joh

Photo: Prof. Eugene Dempsey, the new Horgan Chair in Neonatology, Infant Centre, UCC and Consultant Neonatologist at CUMH, Prof. John O’Halloran, Interim President,  Professor Helen Whelton, Head of the College of Medicine and Health (COMH) UCC, Prof. Geraldine Boylan, Director INFANT Centre, UCC

 

March 25th 2021: INFANT Research Centre, UCC today announced the creation of the first ever Chair in Neonatology after alumnus Daragh Horgan and his wife Anne gave a million euro donation to support the important research ongoing at the INFANT centre.  INFANT is Ireland’s only dedicated research centre spanning maternal and child health and is focussed entirely on pioneering translational research that will improve outcomes for women, babies and young children. It is a leading health innovation and research hub, headquartered at UCC and co-located in Cork University Maternity Hospital and Cork University Hospital campus.

 

All babies are shaped by the critical period of pregnancy, birth and the neonatal period (their first 28 days of life). The growth and development of infants is further shaped in a fundamental way by their first 1,000 days of life. The journey from pregnancy through to early life leaves an imprint that shapes health and wellbeing for decades. Most babies are born healthy but for many mothers and babies, there can be severe complications during pregnancy, birth and early infancy. The global and personal impact of this is enormous and is the reason why research into pregnancy, birth and the neonatal period is so vital for society.  INFANT is working to address this challenge through research and innovation in maternal and child health, which historically has suffered from serious underinvestment, to deliver better outcomes for all mothers and infants.

 

The Horgans’ sought to support INFANT with a commitment to establish a Chair in Neonatology – the first of its kind in Ireland, based at UCC & CUMH and to support sustained leadership for the  neonatal research programme at INFANT. This effort has culminated in the appointment of Prof Eugene Dempsey as the Horgan Chair in Neonatology, following an international search, to secure the research capacity and to deliver on the INFANT vision.

 

Daragh Horgan said,

 

Research into paediatric medicine generally is significantly underfunded and so supporting neonatal research at the INFANT centre is incredibly important.  We are huge cheerleaders of Prof. Boylan and her team and have helped the centre with our support for nearly seven years.  Improving care for newborn or pre-term babies is vital: for their longer term outcomes, for the impact it has on their families, and on the cost to society as a whole.  INFANT’s marriage of research and clinical work under one roof is a powerful combination, which gives the centre a significant advantage. We are delighted that Prof. Dempsey will become the new Chair of Neonatology – with his energy and expertise, we are sure that the team will press home this advantage in making INFANT a world leader in neonatology.

 

 

Prof. Eugene Dempsey, the new Horgan Chair in Neonatology, Infant Centre, UCC and Consultant Neonatologist at CUMH, described his priorities for the new role,

 

This new role represents an exciting opportunity to grow our world leading research programme in newborn care. Over the next 5 years we will continue to develop strong international collaborative links in newborn clinical trials.  We will lead and partner in some of these exciting multinational trials all aiming to generate new knowledge and enhance patient outcome. These trials encompass many important aspects of clinical care including  newborn stabilisation at delivery, studying antiseizure medication in full-term newborns and measuring brain oxygen levels non-invasively in  preterm infants. We will continue to deliver high quality evidence based clinical care to our families. We will also establish a centre for newborn neurocritical care given our research and clinical strength in this area whilst also ensuring that we train the next generation of neonatal academic scientists through close alignment with our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs at UCC.

 

Prof. John O’Halloran, Interim President, UCC added,

 

This new role is a superb opportunity to further enhance our internationally renowned INFANT Centre at UCC. On behalf of UCC, we sincerely thank Daragh and Anne Horgan for their generous gift to help create this first ever Chair in Neonatology in Ireland.  This is a ground-breaking appointment for Cork and Ireland and highlights the transformative impact that philanthropy can have. This extremely generous gift is of strategic importance in terms of our Alumni and Development programme and, enhances academic and clinical research leadership for UCC nationally and internationally.

 

Professor Helen Whelton, Head of the College of Medicine and Health (COMH) UCC commented;

 

The research undertaken at INFANT Research Centre, UCC has enhanced the outcomes for patients and families in the region. Research active hospitals are characterised by improved patient outcome and as an example, CUMH has seen an improvement in the survival of the extremely preterm infants over the last five years. The generosity of the Horgans in supporting this Chair will add considerable weight to research and teaching in neonatology and enhance the leadership of clinical and translational research at INFANT. This Chair will also support the College’s ambitions in strengthening the academic-clinical innovation capacity between UCC and the HSE.

 

The Clinical Director of CUMH, Prof. John R. Higgins commented;

 

Cork University Maternity Hospital is delighted to support the joint appointment of the first Chair in Neonatology in Ireland at UCC. The ability to unlock innovation potential from the health system and provide the best clinical care for mothers and newborns is driven by high calibre leadership that spans academic and clinical domains. This appointment is a strategic investment in clinical and research capacity and we congratulate Professor Dempsey and acknowledge the significant gift that made this possible.

 

Prof. Geraldine Boylan, Director INFANT Centre, UCC added,

 

INFANT is delighted and honoured that Daragh and Anne Horgan have supported our work and our vision through their philanthropic gift to create the first Chair in Neonatology in Ireland here in Cork. Their generosity in creating this Chair will significantly enhance our leadership capacity in neonatal research and help us realise our ambitions to be at the forefront of innovation in maternal and child health translational research. Considering the impact that innovation in this field can potentially have for every child born around the world, this gift truly encapsulates the best of what philanthropy can deliver for societal good. INFANT has a fantastic record of leveraging such awards 5-fold and we will seek to maximise the strategic impact that this generous gift can bring.

 

For more information please visit https://www.infantcentre.ie/ and for all press enquiries please contact Tara O’Leary at tara.oleary@ucc.ie

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