An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, this week has welcomed the news that the dean of the Mayo Medical Academy, consultant surgeon Dr Kevin Barry, has been promoted to the role of professor by NUIG. Dr Barry is the only consultant to have been appointed to this role outside of the staff of Galway University Hospital. The Taoiseach also said this week that the €2.2 million project which will house the academy on a permanent basis is expected to be completed within the next two months.
The academy is a partnership between Mayo General Hospital and NUIG and was first established in January 2012, the first intake of students graduated in June 2014 and of this group four are now employed as doctors at Mayo General Hospital. It is expected that the academy will be responsible for training increasing numbers of doctors who will preferentially work at Mayo General Hospital and in general practice throughout the county. The Taoiseach said: "Together, these developments add considerably to establishing Mayo General Hospital as an academic teaching hospital which is a very positive development."
