An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme 2002-2003
Report to Údarás na hOllscoile
Review of
Department of Pathology
Self Assessment
Review Group Visit
Follow Up Meeting
Sept 2002 to Jan 2003
3–4 February, 2003
24 June 2003
This Report was compiled for members of Údarás na hOllscoile, NUI Galway and its
committees as a readily accessible but comprehensive source of information on the above
review, its context and its outcomes.
Professor Jim Gosling, Director of Quality, Month 2004
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1. Overview of Department
What Pathology is:
Pathology is generic term encompassing the four specialities of Anatomic Pathology,
Immunology, Haematology and Clinical Chemistry. Pathology is an integrative discipline and
attempts to correlate the patients and symptoms with abnormalities found in tissues, blood,
lymphochtes, serum, urine and other biological fluids:
1.1 Aims of the Department
1. To provide the medical undergraduate students with a sufficient basic knowledge of
Laboratory Medicine so as to be able to correlate clinical findings, x-rays and laboratory
investigations in a holistic way so that, as a medical doctor, he/she will be able to make
an informed diagnosis in relation to specific signs and symptoms.
2. To provide sufficient knowledge to trainee nurses of pathological processes so that they
will have a broad understanding of the mechanisms of disease.
3. To provide sufficient knowledge to bio-engineering students of key pathological
processes i.e. thrombosis, inflammation, so that they will understand the complications
that can occur with prosthesis such as stents, artificial valves, artificial joints etc.
4. To provide postgraduate training in Pathology and encourage young graduates in
medicine to consider Pathology as a career.
5. To initiate and support research projects in a multidisciplinary team approach with
Departments of Surgery, Oncology and Medicine.
1.2 Background
The Chair of Pathology has been vacant for many years and Department has had an acting Head
since 1990.
1.3 Programmes currently contributed to
MB
Diploma/Degree in Nursing Studies
BE in Biomedical Engineering
MMedSc
HDipApplSc/MSc in Occupational Health and Ergonomics
Dip/M in Health Services Research
1.4 Student numbers
The number of fulltime equivalent (FTE) students in the Department was 27 in the year
2001/02.
1.5 Staff to student ratio
The number of fulltime equivalent academic staff in the Department was 1.7 in 2001/02
(including 2 associate professors, 1 senior lecturer, 5 clinical lecturers and 1 contract lecturers,
all part-time posts) giving a staff student ratio of 16.2 in 2001/02, as compared to a Medicine
and Health Sciences Faculty average of 17.1. There were also a senior technician and a halftime secretary/administrator. (At Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe, there is a honorary clinical
lecturer, a technician and a secretary/administrator.)
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1.6 Costs
The cost of the Department per FTE student (€7758 for direct costs and €9699 for all costs) was
greater than the Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty average (€6625 and €8412, respectively)
(2001/02 figures).
Note: Because of the complexity of resource allocation to the Medical and Health Sciences
Faculty the above figures and cannot be compared with confidence to those from other faculties
and may not agree with internal departmental estimates.
1.7 Accommodation and facilities
The Department is located mainly in the Clinical Science Institute on the University College
Hospital Galway campus.
2. Review Group Visit and Report
This report arises from a visit by a Review Group to the Department of Pathology on 3–4
February, 2003. The Department had already prepared and submitted a 'Self Assessment
Report' that, with other documentation, was made available to the review team in advance of the
visit.
One other department was reviewed during the same visit, namely the Department of
Bacteriology. The review group report for Bacteriology is a separate document similar to this
one.
The Review Group consisted of Professor Hilary Humphreys, Dept. of Clinical
Microbiology, Beaumont Hospital and RCSI, Dublin (Chairperson), Dr Mary Sheppard,
Department of Histopathology, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, Professor Emer Colleran,
Department of Microbiology, NUI, Galway (Cognate), Mr. Brendan Flynn of the CFA and
Department of Political Science and Sociology (Rapporteur)
2.1 Summary, and Main Recommendations from Report
By way of summary, we stress here a number of crucial insights and suggestions
1. The Department of Pathology requires a greater commitment to balanced excellence
between its clinical, teaching, research and community activities.
2. The filling of the long vacant chair of Pathology is most urgent and must happen if quality is
to be assured. There are no grounds for delay in appointing this Chair.
3. There is an urgent need for new staff, given the recommendations of the RC Path, the
impending retirement of senior staff members, and a possible rise in student numbers.
4. The status, career structure and remuneration of clinical lecturers in the Department requires
attention by the UMT. The University needs to re-examine this issue to ensure that such
staff are given the required level of status and remuneration consistent with their experience,
skills and contribution.
5. External communications by the Department require greater attention. Participation in
Faculty meetings and direct liaison with UMT is vital and should be much improved. There
is also a need for a more established standing forum for regular, structured and targeted
means of communication and negotiation between the WHB and the University to which the
Department can have input.
6. Internal communications of the Department requires greater attention and need to be
formalised. Regular scheduled staff meetings to discuss strategic issues are required.
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7. The teaching programme of the Department is impressive, in particular as regards the
practical side. There is however, a need to improve the 4th year core Pathology Course to
ensure a more even teaching standard between lecturers, with a more focused core
curriculum. Student’s apprehensions of this subject should be addressed through better
organisation, perhaps by semesterised exams.
8. Unquestionably the most significant lacuna in the Department’s performance is with regard
to research. The Department needs to be made an attractive place for research. To do this
requires renewed leadership, which a new Chair should provide in conjunction with the
establishment of an Academic Unit. It may also require teaching buy-outs through contract
staff to free up protected time. Another possible short-term avenue to improve research
effort could lie through greater collaboration with the University’s NCBMES Institute.
3. Follow up Meeting
9.30 a.m. Wednesday, 24 June 2003
Present: Professor J Browne - Registrar, Professor J Gosling - Director of Quality (Chair), Dr P
A Carney – Dean of Medicine & Health Sciences, Professor G Hurley – Dean of Research,
Professor C E Connolly – Acting Head of Department, Dr M Sheppard – Review Group, Dr H
Grimes-O’Cearbhaill, Dr M Murray, Dr M O’Dwyer, Dr F Bennani, Ms L Moran, Ms M
Linnane (in attendance)
Apologies: Dr M P G Little
3.1 Action Plan for the Department:
1. Since the Review Visit in February 2003 the following actions have been carried out:
• Handouts on the material covered are provided to students at all lectures.
•
•
•
Lecture notes are put on the Pathology website.
A new, externally sourced, multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ) examination on the
‘Mechanisms of Disease’ module has been well received by students.
The Department gives timely feedback to students on MCQ examinations.
2. The Department supports the adoption of measures that would give greater recognition
to its sub-disciplines: histopathology; haematology, clinical chemistry and immunology.
3. The Department will establish a formal management committee, which will meet at least
twice a term and record minutes and decisions. Minutes and other appropriate
documentation will be circulated automatically to all academic, administrative and
technical staff. Sub-committees will be formed to deal with specific areas as necessary,
and individual members of Departmental staff representative will be nominated to attend
Faculty and other Meetings.
4. Following the appointment of the Chair of Pathology (see item 1 below), the Department
will review its aims and objectives in conjunction with the development of a formal
Departmental Strategic Plan, which links in with the Faculty and University Plans.
These will be communicated the Faculty and to all students.
5. The Department will organise a meeting with the relevant staff from the Registrar’s
Office and the Bursar’s Office to clarify issues relating to the allocation of resources to
the Department.
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6. Research productivity will be promoted by expanding links with other departments and
the new research centres and institutes.
7. With respect to the medical curriculum and its delivery, the department will:
•
Continue to participate in medical curriculum development, with a view to having
greater attention put on syllabus coherence, course organisation and appropriate
examination methods.
•
Explore with other medical departments how the teaching of related areas may be
more coordinated and integrated.
8. The Head of Department will consult with Dr Mary Sheppard of the Review Group in
relation to preserved teaching materials.
3.2 Action plan for University Management:
1. The Chair of Pathology has been advertised by the Local Appointments Commission and
interviews are expected to be held in September 2003.
2. The Registrar and the Dean of the Faculty will continue to develop an academic staffing
model for the Faculty as a whole, which is expected to be complete by June 2003.
3. The Registrar and the Dean will work to confirm the Department’s status as a full
academic unit, and to ensure an adequate balance of expertise as all the present senior
retire over the next three years.
4. The Registrar and the Dean will encourage the creation of larger academic units within
the Faculty which would allow the more efficient use of resources; and will encourage
the Department to participate (perhaps in a united department or school of Laboratory
Medicine) while ensuring the integrity of Pathology as a discipline.
5. The Registrar will work to bring about the establishment of a formal WHB/NUI, Galway
Strategic Group to which existing WHB/NUI Galway working Groups would report.
This commitment will be adapted to suit the new national system for the management of
hospitals and health services.
6. The Director of Quality will coordinate a study into systems to recognise the
contributions of professionals to the education of students in the Faculty of Medicine
and Health Science. Support for this study has been sought from the HEA/NDP Quality
assurance Programme.
7. The Director of Quality will explore the issue of MIS continuing to analyse MCQs for
the Department.
8. The Deans of Research, and Medicine and Health Sciences welcome proposals or
nominations, which recognise individual staff achievements within the Department, in
the hope of promoting and recognising staff efforts. Rewards for outstanding
contributions will be selected systematically.
9. The Dean of Research will work with the Department/Faculty in providing / developing:
•
An information session on grant applications/proposals to the Millennium fund and to
the main funding bodies, with emphasis on support for younger staff and for proposals
involving other departments in the Faculty and University.
•
Appropriate support for contract staff wishing to establish a research programme.
•
Research methodology training.
•
A register of research projects in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
10. The Dean of Research will ensure that ‘Research Matters’ is distributed to all relevant
staff in the Department and in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science.
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11. To encourage maximum participation and to investigate its effects, the Dean will explore
the possibility of having some meetings of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
in the Clinical Science Institute.
12. In order to emphasise the link between teaching and the practice of medicine in teaching
hospitals, the Dean of Medicine and Health Science will investigate the possibility of the
‘simultaneous’ appointment as clinical lecturers of new consultants in appropriate posts.
Approved by: Acting Head of Department, Professor C E Connolly, 22 October 2003
Approved by: Dean of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dr P A Carney, 4 November 2003
Approved by: Dean of Research, Professor G Hurley, 24 October 2003
Approved by: Registrar, Professor J Browne, 29 October 2003
Approved by: Director of CELT, Dr I MacLaren, 6 November 2003
Finalised: 6 November, 2003, Jim Gosling, Director of Quality
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