News
Prof Caitriona O’Driscoll Elected to Royal Irish Academy
Professor Caitriona O'Driscoll, Chair of Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy, and Director of UCC Futures - Future Medicines, has been elected as a member of the prestigious Royal Irish Academy (RIA). She was among 28 new members admitted Friday 24 May 2024 for their exceptional contributions to the sciences, humanities, and social science, as well as to public service.
Recognised globally for her research in non-viral delivery of RNA therapeutics, Professor O'Driscoll has helped build an internationally recognised team in the field of RNA medicines within the School of Pharmacy. Her work focuses on developing innovative drug delivery systems to improve the effectiveness and safety of RNA-based therapies.
Professor O'Driscoll was the founding Head of the School of Pharmacy at UCC (2003-2009) and has held several national appointments including being Council Member of Pharmaceutical Society of Irl (2011-15), and a member of the Royal College Physicians Irl Steering Committee for the National Specialty Quality Improvement Programmes (2020-24). Caitriona has also been appointed by the Minister of Health to Board of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), 2011-20, and served on the Audit and Risk Committee, January-December 2020, and the Expert Taskforce to Support Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy 2023 to present.
Commenting on her recent election, Professor O'Driscoll shared,
I am thrilled and delighted to be elected as a member of the RIA. As a pharmacist and drug delivery scientist, I aim to work within the RIA to increase the visibility of Pharmaceutical Science as a recognised discipline. I thank all my colleagues, collaborators, and PhD students, many of whom are now leading academics, for helping me achieve this goal.
For more on Professor O'Driscoll's career, visit her research profile page.
Professor John O'Halloran, President of UCC; Professsor Caitriona O'Driscoll,UCC; Professor Maria McNamara, UCC; & Professor John Cryan, Vice-President for Research & Innovation at UCC and RIA member