Biography
Dr Eileen O’Leary graduated with an honours degree in Chemistry and progressed directly to complete a PhD in Organic Chemistry. Dr O’ Leary has experience of working in the Pharmaceutical Industry during and after her undergraduate and postgraduate studies. She carried out postdoctoral work in the design and synthesis of anti cancer drugs and has further postdoctoral experience in investigating the properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients and how they impact on secondary processing. Dr O’Leary currently holds a joint appointment between the School of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry in UCC, where in her role as Lecturer she teaches, organic and pharmaceutical chemistry, research methods and applied data analysis and manages pebblepad, the eportfolio platform adapted by the School of Pharmacy. Dr O’Leary supervises three PhD students focusing on the design, synthesis and evaluation of the biological activity of anti-viral agents, with a keen interest in anti-HIV drugs. Dr O’Leary co supervises a student in Pharmacy Education; the main area of interest is enhancing the transition from student to practitioner in the health care environment. She is co-PI on a, National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, funded initiative under the teaching for transitions theme and the use of digital technology to enhance transition to professional practice, the project is entitled ePrePP (electronic Preparation for Professional Practice). Dr O’Leary has spent a short period seconded to the teaching and learning centre in UCC where she focused on the use of technology in teaching and learning. In 2014 she completed the Masters in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. She has been identified as a Teaching Hero in 2014 by the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in conjunction with the Students Union Ireland. Prior to that in 2013 she was appointed runner up in student nominated Lecture of the Year for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in the college of SEFFs and received a Presidents Award for Research on Innovative Forms of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. In 2015 she was awarded the helping hand award from Pharmacy students. She is currently involved in the implementation and use of e-Portfolios to enhance students learning and help them to become independent learners, combining her passion for teaching and experience in using technology to aid students learning.
Academic Qualifications
Postgraduate Masters in Teaching and Learning (2014)
Lean Healthcare Yellow Belt - Gold Award Level (2014)
Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (2013)
Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning (2010)
PhD Organic Chemistry, UCC (2008)
Certificate in Quality Assurance (2007)
BSc Chemistry (1999)
Continual Professional Development:
- MOOC-Learning to teach Online
- Chemical Spills Training
- Lean Healthcare Training (Lean Pharmacy Best Practice and Centre of Excellence Project)
- Visual Thinking Strategies Training.
- Computer skills: ECDL, presentation skills, organizational and problem solving skills, communication and interpersonal skills, teaching skills (interested in tailored and integrated teaching).
Teaching Awards
- Received a Teaching Hero Award from the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in conjunction with the Union of Students in Ireland in the inaugural National Teaching Hero Awards (2014)
- Received Presidents Award for Research on Innovative Forms of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, UCC, 2013
- Awarded Runner-Up of the 2013 College of SEFS Student Nominated Lecturer of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, 2013.
- Awarded €5,000 from the NAIRTL Academy through the NAIRTL, 2009 grants initiative for a proposal to operate PATS (Peer Assisted Tutorial Sessions) for the academic year 2009-2010.
Employment History
1. Academic
Was appointed to a half time academic secondment to Ionad Bairre, Teaching and Learning Centre as an education developer to support technology enhanced learning (Dec 2013 – Dec 2014)
Feb 11 – Present Lecturer in Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Joint position between the School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, UCC) University College Cork
- Lecture on undergraduate and postgraduate courses
- Carry out associated examination and administrative duties
- Conduct research, supervise three PhD students and supervise chemistry and pharmacy final year projects
- Offer summer placements to students seeking work experience (have taken on project students from CIT (Cork Institute of technology), France and transition year students
- Mentor to Pharmacy and Chemistry Student
- Internal Assessor of MSc (research) students wishing to transfer to a PhD (research)
- Member of the School of Pharmacy Staff Student Committee
- Member of the School of Pharmacy Research and Graduate Studies Committee
- Involved in developing e-learning and developing a competency tracking and mapping capability within the School of Pharmacy UCC in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy,Trinity College Dublin. This work is being carried out with funding obtained from the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education to develop ePrePP (electronic preparation for professional practice). I am a member of the e-PrePP executive board and ePrePP aims to be a forum for inter-professional learning between medicine, pharmacy and nursing aiding undergraduate students transition to professional practitioner.
March – April 2014 Visited Pharos University Alexandria
Invited to present lectures on
- E-Learning
- Teaching and Assessment in UCC
- Drug Design and Development
- Mechanisms in Organic Chemistry
- Potential Research Collaborations between UCC and Pharos University
Sept 08 – 11 Assistant Lecturer University College Cork
- Presented lectures to Pharmacy, Chemistry and Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds undergraduates
- Facilitated both large and small group tutorials.
- Delivered small group tutorials to 3rd and 4th year Chemistry students on advanced organic chemistry
2002-2010 Part-time Teaching University College Cork
- Lecturer on Physical Chemistry and Introductory Pharmaceutical Chemistry to BPharm 1
- Lecturer on chemistry of pharmaceutical compounds for the MSc in Pharmaceutical Engineering
- Lecturer on Validation and Quality Systems for the MSc in Pharmaceutical Analysis and MSc in Biotechnology
- Lecturer on Introductory Organic Chemistry for the Masters in Education
- Coordinator for PACT (Peer Assisted Chemistry Tutorials) in the School of Pharmacy
- Coordinator for PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) in Department of Chemistry
- Created PAL Chemistry modules CM0001 and CM0003
Sept 07 – July 08 Course Coordinator for MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Systems - Blended Learning Masters, UCC
- Organised module coordinators and assisted in preparation of the module material for students.
- Facilitated phone conferences and scheduled two, three day, on site revision days.
- Liaised with students and module coordinators to ensure the course was run in an efficient and timely manner.
- Facilitated on-line tutorials through Blackboard, UCC’s e-learning system, whiteboard, adobe connect
- Organised on-line exams for continuous assessment
- Actively involved in liaising with Pharmaceutical companies to promote and advertise the course and recruit students for future years.
Prepared and delivered a presentation on basic chemical safety to incoming and present PhD students across various disciplines.
2. Research
Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr Abina Crean (2011)
Involved trouble shooting API’s in relation to their physical properties and investigating how this would relate to their formulation
Involved in designing and creating a website - ATTLAS (Access to Third Level Analytical Services)http://www.attlas.ie/
Postdoctoral fellow with Dr Dan McCarthy and Prof Anita Maguire (2004-2005)
Evaluating the anti-cancer potential of 3(2H)-furanones
3. Industry
Research and Development Chemist BMS, Syracuse, New York
- Member of the development team. Responsible for process optimisation, key concerns being safety and cost effectiveness.
Quality Assurance Chemist Warner Lambert, Cork
- Validation of protocols for the new chemical building.
- Reviewing and amending of batch operating procedures.
- Involved in preparing site for FDA audit.
Quality Control Chemist Ballinskelligs Veterinary Products, Co Kerry.
- In-process and finished goods analysis using ultraviolet spectroscopy and volumetric titrations.
Research Interests
· Synthesis of dithiophosphonate analogues or NRTIs and prodrugs thereof as novel compounds to combat HIV and other viral infections
· Synthesis of tetrahydrothiophene analogues of existing NRTI’s and investigation of their biological activity
· Synthesis of 3(2H)-Furanones as potential antiviral candidates
· Investigating efficient methods for the introduction of Fluorine into medicinal products at a late stage in the synthesis, with potential for the methodology to be applied to the introduction of the 18F for use in PET Imaging.
Research Grants
Project | Funding Body | Start Date | End Date | Award | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
e-PrePP- electronic Preparation for Professional Practice | Other: Not Listed | 01-DEC-14 | 01-DEC-16 | €246,000.00 | |
Implement and improve PATS (Peer Assisted Turorial Sessions) in Chemistry | NAIRTL | 18-SEP-09 | 01-SEP-10 | €5,000.00 |
Publications
Conference Publications
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2013) | 5th Eurovariety in Chemistry Education Conference Eileen M. O’Leary and Timothy P. O’Sullivan (2013) A PACT with pharmacy students 5th Eurovariety in Chemistry Education Conference Limerick, Ireland, [Details] | |
(2013) | 5th Eurovariety in Chemistry Education Conference J.J. Keating, E.M. O'Leary and T.P. O'Sullivan (2013) Teaching Chemistry Through ‘Discipline’ Eyes’ 5th Eurovariety in Chemistry Education Conference Limerick, Ireland, [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
Year | Title | Awarding Body | |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Received a SEFS Student Nominated Lecturer of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning | College of Science Engineering and Food Science, UCC | |
2013 | Received Presidents award for Research on Innovative Forms of Teaching | Presidents Office University College Cork | |
2014 | Teaching Hero Award from the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in conjunction with the Union of Students in Ireland in the inaugural National Teaching Hero Awards | National Forum for teaching and Learning in Higher Education and the Students Union Ireland |
Conference Contributions
Year | Publication | |
---|---|---|
(2004) | 56th Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium, E.M. O’Leary, R. Moylan and D.G. McCarthy (2004) Synthesis of 4-Fluoro-3(2H)-Furanones. [Poster Presentation], 56th Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium, Limerick . [Details] | |
(2008) | Retention Colloquium, E.M. O'Leary and T. Dwan (2008) ENHANCE RETENTION THROUGH PEER ASSISTED LEARNING; Which Enhances Students’ Interaction, Confidence & Development. [Poster Presentation], Retention Colloquium, Athlone . [Details] | |
(2003) | Eli Lilly Organic Chemistry Research, E.M. O’Leary and D.G. McCarthy (2003) Synthesis of 4-Fluoro-3(2H)-Furanones. [Oral Presentation], Eli Lilly Organic Chemistry Research, University College Cork . [Details] | |
(2012) | North West Organic Chemistry Symposium Liverpool, E.M. O’Leary and T.P. O’Sullivan (2012) ‘A PACT (Peer Assisted Chemistry Tutorials) with Pharmacy Students’. [Poster Presentation], North West Organic Chemistry Symposium Liverpool, Liverpool . [Details] | |
(2009) | A Trinity PALNET (Peer Assisted Learning Network) Symposium, E.M. O'Leary and T. Dwan (2009) Peer Supported Learning in the Science Faculty, UCC. [Oral Presentation], A Trinity PALNET (Peer Assisted Learning Network) Symposium, Trinity College Dublin . [Details] | |
(2014) | 8th Irish Variety in Chemistry Education Conference, E.M. O'Leary, T.P. O'Sullivan and J.J. Keating (2014) Assessment and Feedback in Chemistry Teaching; How can Technology Help?. [Oral Presentation], 8th Irish Variety in Chemistry Education Conference, Dublin Institute of Technology . [Details] |
Committees
Committee | Function | From / To | |
---|---|---|---|
Research and Graduate Studies Committee in the School of Pharmacy, UCC | Pharmaceutical Chemistry Representative | 2012 / 2015 | |
Staff-Student Committee in the School of Pharmacy | Pharmaceutical Chemistry Representative | 2012 / 2015 |
Teaching Activities
Teaching Interests
Current courses
CM4022: Advanced Organic Synthesis, Biosynthesis and Reactivity
CM4108: Advanced Pharmaceutical Chemistry
PF2011: Research Methods and Applied Data Analysis
PF4001: Drug Design
PF3001: Pharmacognosy and Phytopharmaceuticals
PF3102: Pharmaceutical Chemistry III
PF3012: Respiratory, Musculoskeletal and Dermatology Systems
PF6301: Biopharmaceuticals: Formulation Design, Secondary Processing and Regulatory Compliance (MSc)
CM6010: Introductory Pharmaceutical Chemistry (MEng)
NU2057: General Nursing for Adults and their Families 1
Courses thought in the past
CM2002: Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry
CM3022: Synthesis, Structure and Reactivity of Organic Compounds
CM6003: Teaching Organic Chemistry (MEd)
PF1101: Introduction to Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Introductory general chemistry for students who had no leaving certificate chemistry (First Science Students)
Created PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) Modules CM0001 and CM0003
Operated PACT (Peer Assisted Chemistry Tutorials) for First Year Pharmacy Students 2011 & 2012
Current Postgraduate Students
Student | Degree Type | |
---|---|---|
Jones David James | Doctoral Degree | |
O Donovan Fiona Patricia | Doctoral Degree |
Research Information
Internal Collaborators
Name | Institute | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Professor Henry Smithson | University College Cork, School of Medecine | IRELAND | |
Mrs Caroline O Connor | University College Cork, School of Nursing | IRELAND | |
Dr Bettie Higgs | University College Cork, Ionaid Bairre Centre for Teaching and Learning | IRELAND |