WIP

In February 2007, Dr Michael Murphy became President of University College Cork.

Dr Murphy, who is a graduate of UCC's Medical School, was appointed Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at UCC in 1992. He became Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health in 2000 and Head of the College of Medicine and Health in 2006. During this period he managed a programme of expansion and diversification, increasing the number of professional degree programmes from two (Medicine and Dentistry) to six (Nursing, Pharmacy, Speech Therapy and Occupational therapy), which now provides education, training and research opportunities for almost 3,000 students. The associated capital investment programme, the largest since the foundation of the faculty in 1845, exceeds €120 million.

Dr Murphy previously held senior positions at the University of Chicago and at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School London, and worked at St Vincent's University Hospital Dublin and St Finbarr's Hospital Cork.

Dr Murphy's external leadership roles have included membership of many international and domestic professional organisations, including government and industrial advisory panels.  His board membership has included the Irish Health Service Executive and the Health Research Board of Ireland. 

Dr Murphy has published extensively, with over 100 original publications on therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular risk factors and disease.  He has led several large-scale international research projects and clinical trials, and has been widely cited in the literature of medical research.

 

 

 

“How old are you, 21? I was a medicine student in UCC”.


 

 

“Through a lot of hard work! Very briefly, I was born on a farm and went to secondary school on a County Council scholarship. I then came to UCC with the aid of a grant after getting the points as they were at that time for medicine. I guess my parents imbued me with a certain degree of ambition, and the principle of hard work applied wisely through a certain degree of intellect and insight translates ultimately into success. I ended up in this particular position because I am a graduate of the college, I’m proud of the college, competitive in ensuring that it is successful and if ever you feel that you yourself have something to offer to lead an organisation then make it available. So, here I am!”


 

 

“Well in reality it goes back to what I said before, I had a mother who, even though she died when I was quite young, valued education very highly as a tool towards having a better life than that enjoyed by the previous generation. So I think that much of what I do was probably imbued at that stage”.


 

 

“My family. And if you want a reason for that it is that as things are structured and you go through a career, whether you become the chairman of a bank, or the CEO of the stock exchange or the President of a university you leave at 65 with a handshake and a clock. The remainder of your life is really based around the quality of the interaction you have with you family. That is something that has to be nurtured all through life and should never be subjugated or denied precedence by the demands of your job”.

5. What advice would you give to a young college graduate
from Northern Ireland/Ireland?

 

“Never do something that you won’t like doing or anticipate like doing. Don’t do anything for the idea of honour, glory, prestige or whatever else. Always insist that there must be something in it that will give you enjoyment”.


 

 

“If we make our choices wisely, we will exploit the global recession to bring about changes in what we do and how we do them in a manner that will give us an even greater competitive edge going into the future. So I see it as much as an opportunity as a threat. And I know that has almost become trite, everybody will say it, but it is actually true”.


 

7. Since the recession began, how do you think the world now
views Ireland as a nation?

“I think that the world that doesn’t think very deeply will hold the view that we are somewhat profligate, scatter brained, unreliable and unwise. The world that thinks about these things with a more balanced and fair view of life will say that they (Ireland) overstretched but are still a very competent, high quality place in which to invest and with which to do business”.

 

 

“They need to be listened to for the very simple reason that learning is a two way street. It is about receiving wisdom but it also about testing ones own wisdom as it emerges. That can only take place through dialogue, conversations, listening on both parts and mutual respect”.

9. Northern Ireland stands as a shining example of how
terrorism can be diffused by democracy. Do you think
democracy can be effective in the face of an idealist,
Islamic form of terrorism?

 

“I do in the sense that education is the key to helping people to see life differently. You will find that where most conflicts are resolved it arises from the circumstances whereby a form of enlightenment is conferred upon people, invariably through reaching a mutual acceptance and understanding. It occurs through dogged sharing of information and dialogue. So much is dependant on dialogue and educating people. If you want to get North Korea to change it’s position you’ve got to make sure that when people in North Korea turn on their televisions they are able to receive programs that present a challenging view of life, a different view of life. Unless you have that exchange of information that I call “education” it does not happen. It can happen in the Islamic world as in any other world quite frankly”.


 

 

“Well I think that there is a huge opportunity for us (Ireland) given the historical perception of Ireland as a non-aligned country, as being pretty neutral in most ideological disputes, and so we have an opportunity to play a role there. I would say the big concern would be to ensure, going back to the last question, that we at all stages remain in dialogue, in every way possible, and as much as we can directly with the people of those countries rather than exclusively through their governments. This is so that the education process, the exposing of individuals in society to differing ideas and in this case to our ideas, can continue unabated. Long term it will take huge effort, and there is a need for perseverance but ultimately we will get there. We will get there! It is a matter of ensuring that every citizen of those countries has been exposed on a continuing basis, to our view of life and that we equally become aware and more respectful of their view of life and that this dialogue takes place for the betterment of society. We are all going to shift places anyway, towards some form of common ground. Maintaining the constant dialogue is imperative”.