Photo: "Dean Lungaro-Mifsud and the awardees."
The ninth edition of the Faculty of Health Science Dean’s Awards were held on the 8th July, 2022. The previous two editions of these awards were cancelled or substantially restricted due to COVID-19 regulations, but the awards returned in their regular format this year and were held in the Antoine de Paule Hall at San Anton Palace. As per tradition, the awards served as an occasion to celebrate the achievements of the faculty’s students and its academic and non-academic members of staff.
The Dean, Dr Stephen Lungaro Mifsud, welcomed the attendees and thanked students and members of staff for their hard work throughout the past year. He encouraged them to keep up their efforts to ensure that the faculty is constantly proactive to keep up with the speed with which change is taking place in the health sector and in society.
In his address, the Deputy Dean, Dr Josef Trapani, invited faculty members to look back with pride at the faculty’s achievements and contributions during the pandemic and to look forward to face new challenges with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and equipped with the lessons and new practices learnt through pandemic. He encouraged the faculty to celebrate the diversity of its members as an invaluable resource.
The Dean then handed awards to the students with the highest grades in each of the first three years of study and who demonstrated the greatest academic improvement. Awards were also given to members of staff who were voted by students as academic, clinical mentor and administrative or technical member of the year and to the recipients of the Dean’s Awards for altruistic contribution to society and for special mention.
Photo: Some of the awards of the evening.
During the ceremony, the attendees were treated to the beautiful voice of Audrienne Fenech, who is a graduate of the faculty and a senior staff nurse at Mater Dei Hospital besides a singer and songwriter. She was ably accompanied by David Fenech on guitar. Special guests for the evening included a number of external examiners for various programmes offered by the faculty, the Dean of the Faculty of ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ & Communication Technology, Prof. Ing. Carl Debono, and Dr Wasim Ahmed, chief executive officer of Metavisions, who generously collaborated with the Faculty for the event. In a brief address, Dr Ahmed expressed his honour for being present, congratulated all health professionals for their efforts during the past years but also reminded them that the evermore dynamic landscape of healthcare required them to be more creative and to embrace innovative technology as it becomes more integral to care delivery.
In his concluding remarks, the Dean, Dr Lungaro Mifsud, again thanked all attendees for their presence, and especially Ms Marthese Gauci from the Office of the Dean for her hard work and excellent coordination in ensuring the smooth running of these awards. He then invited the attendees to a reception held at San Anton Palace courtyard.
The awardees at this year’s edition of the Faculty of Health Sciences Dean’s Awards are listed below.
Awards based on Academic performance:
- First Year Students: Samuel Grima – BSc (Hons) Physics, Medical Physics & Radiation Protection, Abigail Grima – BSc (Hons) Midwifery, Christine Axiaq – BSc (Hons) Nursing
- Second Year Students: Francesca Xuereb – BSc (Hons) Radiography, Francesca Azzopardi – BSc (Hons) Nursing, Hannah Gatt – BSc (Hons) Communication Therapy
- Third Year Students: Angie Purkiss – BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, Kamie Marie, Grech – BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, Carla Fenech – BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, Greatest Academic Improvement, Diane Portelli – BSc (Hons) Midwifery
Awards based on nominations
- Academic of the Year: Dr Georgette Spiteri – Lecturer, Department of Midwifery
- Clinical Mentor of the Year: Ms Vanessa Micallef – Midwife, Central Delivery Suite
- Administrative or Technical Member of Staff of the Year: Ms Anthea Zammit – Laboratory Officer, Departments of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Communication Therapy
- Dean’s Award for Altruistic Contribution to Society 2021/22: Ms Melita James – Administrator II, Department of Nursing
- Dean’s Award for Special Mention: Ms Sharon Micallef – Administration Specialist, Faculty Office
