Faculty of Public Health Medicine reflects on past and future at Summer Scientific Meeting

The past, present and future of public health medicine was the focus of the recent Faculty of Public Health Medicine Summer Scientific meeting, a key event in the college calendar and part of the faculty’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Held over two days at No.6 Kildare Street and online on May 19 and 20, the meeting brought together leading experts to provide a global perspective on the current and emerging challenges facing public health medicine.

The event also showcased long and short oral presentations selected through a competitive scientific abstract submission process. Presentations covered a wide variety of public health topics including obesity policy, vaccine uptake in secondary schools and the elimination of cervical cancer in Ireland.

The conference also included an active Poster Tour led by Dr Kevin Kelleher, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, which provided the authors with an opportunity to present their work and engage with questions from the audience. Dr Kelleher commended the participants for the quality of their presentations and debate, adding “we have had one of the most high-quality talks that I’ve seen at a conference for a very long time.”

Prof John Middleton during his presentation Courage in Dark Times for the Health of the Public

Prof John Middleton, President of the Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), delivered a keynote speech that provided insights on climate change and environmental health, economic inequality, and the need to develop public health systems that are equipped to address modern global challenges.

Prof Middleton reflected on his work with GNAPH leading on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) roadmap for public health workforce capacity and the challenges of carrying out this work in increasingly difficult circumstances.

“There has never been a more important time to be in the service of public health, and never a more difficult time. We are often engaged in scientific or technical exercises needing our expertise, but we don’t reassert our reasons for being here; our vision, our values, that we are a vocation and it seems to me that we need to restate those things, particularly in this climate.”

Dr Tony Holohan delivering his address Public health in Ireland- The Past, The Present and The Future

Dr Tony Holohan, former Chief Medical Officer, opened his presentation by thanking the faculty for honouring Emer Feely through the Emer Feely Medal, saying “It means a great deal to me and my family. The decision to create that medal honours Emer’s legacy and it reflects values that matter greatly within public health.” Dr Holohan stated that the faculty’s 50^th anniversary is a time for reflection and pride, adding that public health medicine has made a substantial contribution to the wellbeing of the population of Ireland in that time.

Dr Holohan’s speech also reflected on challenges during his time as Chief Medical Officer and how wider issues also play a hugely influential role in determining health. “Decisions on housing, education, social protection and wider economic matters shape life expectancy, illness, literacy and agency. We see how inequality is expressed through illness and illness reinforces disadvantage. And that perspective brings responsibility.”

He also spoke about progress through the introduction of initiatives like Healthy Ireland, moving discussions around health from GDP to connecting health with environment, community, participation and social conditions.

On the second day of the meeting, Dr Tracey Cooper, Chief Executive of Public Health Wales, focused on global public health risks and challenges in the era of cost-of-living crises, climate change and geopolitical tensions. Her presentation examined key risks facing populations today and looked towards future trends and risks, many of which are connected to climate change and ecosystem collapse. “As public health leaders, are we doing enough to help influence and manage what is predicted to come down the line?”

“There are population health challenges everywhere but it’s an opportunity to be really focused on influencing policy, pulling together evidence-based interventions and providing support and resources to help people implement them, particularly around some of the non-communicable diseases that we are facing.”

The faculty also marked its 50th anniversary by launching a commemorative publication at the meeting, Fifty Years of Public Health Medicine in Ireland 1976–2026 which looks back over the faculty’s first 50 years while also looking towards the future.

In his closing remarks, the Dean thanked staff and participants for making the event such a success before announcing Dr Alan Smith as the winner of the faculty’s 50th anniversary bursary. The bursary invited submissions focused on what the future of public health will be and Dr Smith will have the opportunity to present his submission at the Summer Scientific Meeting 2027.

Poster winner, Dr Emma Kearney, Dr Kevin Kelleher, Dean of the faculty

Poster winners

 3^rd place: Thomas Cronin, Understanding and addressing frailty in people experiencing homelessness.

2^nd place: Tomas Barry, Starting from scratch: de novo development of a regional model of rabies post-exposure treatment in HSE Dublin and Midlands.

1^st place: Emma Kearney, Shaping the future of alcohol and drug prevention in Ireland:  Findings from a national survey.

Short oral presentation winners

3^rd place: Ian Darbey, Establishing a public health-led consistent approach to health service demand modelling to improve health planning in Ireland.

2^nd place: Rachel McNamara, Area-level deprivation and low birth weight in the Mid-West of Ireland.

1^st place: Andrea Bowe, Early cognitive disadvantage and school outcomes at age 9: Findings from a national prospective cohort.

Long oral presentation winners

3^rd place: Emer Liddy, Building the case for a national congenital anomaly surveillance system: a cross-sectional study to determine Neural Tube Defect prevalence in Ireland, 2018-2022.

2^nd place: Ian Darbey, A public health-led approach to designing a data-driven method to allocate the GP Social Deprivation Grant.

1^st place and winner of Zachary Johnson medal: Caroline Mason Mohan, Past, present and future: The road from public health burden to elimination of cervical cancer in Ireland.