The Western Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland has established the Annual Professor Gerry McKenna Award for staff excellence in medical science.
The award is named after Professor McKenna DL MRIA FIBMS FRSB (pictured) in recognition of his role in pioneering higher education programmes and research across a range of health sciences disciplines and professions. It is awarded to a staff member within the Trust for outstanding contributions in healthcare and medical sciences.
Professor McKenna has played a leading role for over 40 years in the development of biomedical sciences teaching and learning and research. A fellow of the IBMS since 1982 and a former IBMS Council member, he developed in 1980 at the University of Ulster one of the first ever degree programmes in biomedical sciences and the first UK Master’s programme in 1985. He also pioneered, in 2001, the world’s first online Master’s programme in biomedical sciences. McKenna directed biomedical sciences research at Ulster to be the leading UK university in this subject area in successive research assessment/research excellence framework exercises in 1996, 2001 and 2008.
Professor McKenna was co-founder in 1993 of HUCBMS (Heads of University Centres of Biomedical Sciences) serving as President, and later President Emeritus and Hon Executive Secretary. He is a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ulster, former Senior Vice President of the Royal Irish Academy and holds honorary degrees from the National University of Ireland and Queen’s University Belfast.