rcsitogether-bulletin-4-3rd-april-2020

Dear Colleagues,


I hope you all have nice weekends and spend some quality time away from the work (from home) environment. We are looking forward to seeing some of your feedback on this and other communications when the results come through from the RCSI staff survey issued yesterday. As always, the door for you to suggest content for future bulletin remains open!

  1. #RCSItogether Learning:

    Today we are sharing a lecture from the 2019 RCSI Millin Meeting entitled “The Era of the Mind”. Prof Ian Robertson, Professor Emeritus in Psychology in Trinity College Dublin and Co-Director of the Global Brain Health Institute gave the 27th RCSI Carmichael lecture which address the topic of human potential and information, whose medium is the human mind, as the currency of the new era.

    Did you know that all RCSI staff have access to the Nature masterclass series on Scientific Writing and Publishing? This online programme is written by an expert panel of editors from Nature research journals and is aimed at researchers in the natural sciences who are new to publishing or wish to refresh their skills. This three part course includes 11 hours of learning and is designed to give you a unique insight into writing and publishing a great research paper. Topics include data presentation, the editorial process and measuring impact. Full details of how to sign up are HERE:

  2. #RCSItogether Health Science:

    As you may have seen from Tuesday’s CEO email, RCSI’s own Dr Cathal Cadogan has recently published a paper highlighting what community pharmacists can do to help relieve pressure on other areas of the health service during this pandemic. We invite you to learn more about the fantastic work done by the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences HERE, or to read the paper tweeted out HERE.

    If you have not done so already, we encourage you to follow the RCSI Research twitter account for more research news and updates, including future RCSI Discover blog articles!

  3. #RCSItogether Minding Others:

    Did you know that RCSI became a member of the Age Friendly University Network last year? The recommendation to ‘cocoon’ our over-70s means intergenerational friendships and solidarity are more important than ever. Why not use your next coffee break to write a letter or ring a family member, neighbour or friend to check-in?

    You might also be interested in listening to Dr. Sabina Brennan, author of the book ‘100 Days to a Younger Brain’, podcast series. Dr. Brennan explains how we can activate our grey matter to keep us younger and mentally agile.

  4. #RCSItogether Minding Yourself:

    Nutrition:

  5. Plan ahead. Make a shopping list & stick to it. Visualize breakfast, lunch, and dinner for at least 5 days.
  6. Think nutrition. Fruit & Veg with harder skins will last longer. Swap in healthy dried or canned alternatives; canned beans, chickpeas & canned oily fish such as mackerel and salmon are rich is protein and nutrients
  7. Have children at home? Involve them in meal planning, preparation, reading recipes, counting eggs, possibly dropping eggs… anything to keep them busy!

RCSI Inspire have created a WorkVivo ‘Food Inspiration’ space. They will be posting a weekly recipe challenge to keep you (and the kids) busy at the weekend with store cupboard staples, and easy recipe ideas. Get involved and post your one-pot wonders, novice bread baking skills or kids favorites. Join this SPACE HERE.For staff who prefer the group accountability factor to help with healthier food choices RCSI Weightwatchers at Work programme will start remotely on 9th April – 25th June 2020. Details can be found HERE

Something Different!

Finally, we had a contribution from a colleague who sent us this poem that you may enjoy;


Believe in Tomorrow

Sometimes it gets so hard to focus on what’s really important in our lives.
Sometimes our hearts misplace the passion for our dreams, and doubts
seem to take over all our plans – compromising the future we long to see.

These emotions that confuse us or set us back are not signs of weakness,
they are signs of our humanity, and accepting their existence is a strength
we all can call upon. If we allow ourselves to step back, we can take a
moment to look at where we were and how far we’ve come.

We’re the ones who must choose either to dwell on the past or move
on into the future. Life is a gift and although you can’t return it, you can
exchange it for a better one – one that fits you better, makes you feel more
secure, and won’t just sit up on a shelf.

Keep on believing, keep on fighting, and don’t ever forget who
you are and what you’re working toward. Have faith in tomorrow
and believe in yourself. – Michele Lee


Take care of yourselve and each other.
Barry