Queen's takes first place at All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge 2026
A team of Queen's University ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ students has taken first place at the All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC) 2026, held at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in Dublin on 26 March.
The win marks Queen's third AIPEC title, building on previous victories in 2022 and 2024, and underlines the University's commitment to interprofessional education and collaborative healthcare practice.
AIPEC is an annual intervarsity competition that brings together healthcare students from across the island of Ireland to collaboratively develop and present a patient management plan for a complex case. Teams from eight universities - Queen's University ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, RCSI, Trinity College Dublin, Ulster University, University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway, and the University of Limerick - competed at this year's final, with students working in interprofessional teams over several weeks before presenting to a panel of judges.
The Queen's team, consisting of Karen Mulvihill (Pharmacy), Farook Bhabha (Nursing), Mayuri Raje (Medicine), and Dearbháile Doherty (Dentistry), were commended by the judging panel for their collaborative, patient-focused, and inclusive approach. AIPEC has itself received national recognition, winning both the Best Collaboration Project and the Overall Excellence Award at the 2025 Irish Education Awards.
The Queen's University ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Team deliver their presentation at AIPEC 2026.
Professor Gavin Andrews, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen's, said:
"This is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the quality and dedication of our students. Winning AIPEC for a third time demonstrates the strength of interprofessional education at Queen's and the readiness of our students to work effectively across disciplinary boundaries: a skill that is fundamental to delivering the best outcomes for patients."
Dr Paul McCague, Director of Education (Pharmacy) in the School, and Queen's AIPEC lead, said:
"I'm incredibly proud of this team. AIPEC challenges students to think beyond the boundaries of their own discipline and work together to address complex, real-world healthcare needs. To see our students take first place again, against excellent competition from across the island, is a wonderful reflection of their talent and their commitment to collaborative care."
AIPEC was founded in 2017 and is coordinated by a steering group representing all eight participating institutions.
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