Health Board: Upcoming conferences, talks, campaigns and events

1) Just before Christmas, a Wicklow couple were given the devastating news that their six-month-old daughter Juniper has a rare and life-threatening genetic condition known as SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency). This has left Juniper with immune deficiency. She is currently waiting to be transferred to the UK for a bone marrow transplant. The family have started an online petition (at uplift.ie) calling on Minister for Health Simon Harris to introduce screening for SCID in the newborn screening programme (the heel prick test). The incidence in Ireland is approximately 1 in 37,000 children (1-2 cases per year); making it more common than many of the diseases currently included in the test.

2) Rathmines College, Dublin is running a 10-week conflict management and assertiveness course for adults on Tuesdays, 7.30pm-9pm, commencing January 29th. The course is relaxed and, while interactive, everyone can participate at their own pace. Enrolment at Rathmines College on January 21st and 22nd. Details at rathminescollege.ie

3) Queen's University Belfast's surgical society (QUB Scrubs) is hosting its Emergency Medicine Conference 2019 in the Medical Biology Centre, Belfast on Saturday, January 26th. Open to medical students and medical professionals, the programme promises talks and practical sessions from emergency medicine and surgical experts. Tickets £20 (€22.50). Details from qubscrubs.org

4) An eight-week "Mindful Parenting" course, given by Séamus McMahon (MSc in mindfulness based approaches), starts in University College Cork at 7pm on Wednesday, January 30th. For information see ACE (Adult Continuing Education) website.

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5) Mental health organisation Aware is holding a lecture on "Nutrition and Mental Health" in St Patrick's Hospital on March 13th, with Shane O'Rourke, performance nutritionist. The Aware lecture series is held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm in the lecture theatre, Swift Centre, St Patrick's Hospital, James' St, Dublin 8. Lectures are open to the public and free of charge. Details at aware.ie.

6) A competition to find Ireland's next young food entrepreneurs has opened for registration. GROW2CEO is a collaboration between Cully & Sully and GIY (Grow It Yourself) and gives students in secondary schools, free growing kits will be delivered to teachers who register by February 15th - with the competition commencing on March 4th. The kits include include seeds, pots, soil and expert tips. In the final phase, they will be asked come up with a soup recipe and business plan.

Three classes will then be selected for the competition finale, which will involve a "Dragon's Den" style pitch scenario in Waterford on Wednesday, May 15th. The top prize includes a €3,000 food garden for the school, hoodies for the winning class, with the winning teacher receiving an overnight trip to Ballymaloe. Details at grow2ceo.ie

7) Secondary-school students and teachers from all over the country are expected to attend this year's HealthFest at the National Sports Campus in Dublin on Thursday, January 31st. Organised by the National Dairy Council and Safefood, the free event is designed to educate young people about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity in a practical, engaging and fun environment. Activities on the day include physical challenge zones, talks, cookery demos, Zumba, hip-hop and yoga. Speakers include dietitian Orla Walsh and fitness expert Karl Henry. See healthfest.ie

8) Five Irish healthcare charities have been named as winners of the GSK Ireland IMPACT Awards 2018, with each receiving €10,000. The awards, now in their fourth year, recognise community-based charities who contribute to the improvement of people's health and wellbeing in Ireland.

The winning charities were selected for how their organisation is managed and run, as well as the services they deliver. In addition to the prize-money, the five winning charities also receive a video and photography package for their use in promoting their work and services.

Winning charities
– AsIAm – Short for Autism Spectrum Information Advice and Meeting Point, it was founded in 2014 by Adam Harris, a young man with Asperger's Syndrome.
– IV Ireland – Operating at local, national and European level, the principal aim of the organisation is to improve conditions for people living with HIV and AIDS and/or Hepatitis.
– Ruhama – A Dublin-based organisation supporting women affected by prostitution and sex trafficking that works on a national level in Ireland.
– Walkinstown Greenhills Resource Centre – The WGRC is a community-based voluntary organisation whose mission is "…to tackle the causes and symptoms of substance misuse and in so doing, develop responses to meet the needs of the local community."
–Vision Sports Ireland – Dedicated to promoting sport and recreation for vision impaired people.

Five runner-up charities will receive €2,000 each
– Children at Risk Foundation Ireland – CARI provides a continuum of services for children who have been affected by child sexual abuse, their families/carers and their communities.
– Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team – Providing a 24/7/365 emergency (999/112) search, rescue and recovery service in the wilderness areas of the Dublin Mountains, Wicklow Mountains and Cooley Mountains in Co Louth.
– Galway Autism Partnership – The group strive to 'bridge the gap' between the needs of those with autism/their families and the services available to these people.
– Galway University Arts Trust – The trust offers a comprehensive multi-disciplinary arts programme to benefit hospital patients, visitors and staff.
– Irish Community Rapid Response – ICRR is tasked by, and works alongside, the National Ambulance Service to provide swift pre-hospital emergency care in the case of road traffic accidents, heart attacks, strokes, babies 'born in a hurry', etc.

For inclusion, email health@irishtimes.com with “Health Board” in the subject line