New partnership builds on SETU’s growing network of pharmacy collaborations across healthcare, clinical practice, and industry.
SETU and UPMC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), establishing a framework for collaboration to strengthen pharmacy education and create opportunities for students to engage with professional practice in a hospital and healthcare setting.
The agreement will support SETU’s Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programme by strengthening links between the University and UPMC, a major healthcare provider with a significant presence across the south east, including UPMC Whitfield Hospital in Waterford and UPMC Aut Even Hospital in Kilkenny.
The collaboration will provide a framework for both organisations to explore opportunities across pharmacy education, professional practice, student learning and research, supporting SETU’s commitment to ensuring its pharmacy education remains closely connected to the evolving needs of patients and the healthcare sector.
"Partnership is central to SETU’s mission as a university rooted in and responsive to our region. This agreement with UPMC brings together the expertise of higher education and healthcare to create opportunities that will benefit our students, our partners and, ultimately, the communities we serve.
As we continue to develop pharmacy education at SETU, strong relationships with leading healthcare organisations are particularly important. They ensure that our teaching, research, and innovation remain connected to real-world needs, while strengthening the contribution SETU can make to the future of healthcare in the south east and nationally. I would like to acknowledge the enormous support provided to us by UPMC in the development of the MPharm programme. We look forward to working together into the future.”
Professor Harriet Dunbar-Morris Chief Academic Officer and Deputy President, SETU
“Our ambition is to develop a pharmacy programme that is deeply connected to the profession and to the changing landscape of healthcare. Building strategic relationships across hospital, community, and industry settings gives us a strong platform to ensure our education remains relevant, forward-looking, and informed by practice.
Our partnership with UPMC is an important part of that wider approach. It strengthens the network around our MPharm programme and creates opportunities for education, research and knowledge exchange across different areas of pharmacy practice. That breadth of engagement will be important as we prepare graduates not simply for the profession as it is today, but for the increasingly diverse role pharmacists will play in healthcare into the future.”
Dr Claire Lennon Head of Department of Pharmacy, SETU
“UPMC is delighted to partner with SETU and to support the development of the next generation of pharmacists. As a healthcare provider, we see first-hand the important role pharmacists play in delivering safe, high-quality, patient-centred care, and we have a responsibility to help ensure future healthcare professionals are equipped for the evolving needs of patients.
This partnership provides an opportunity to bring together SETU’s academic expertise with UPMC’s experience in clinical practice, creating meaningful opportunities for students to learn in a real healthcare environment setting. We look forward to working closely with SETU across education, professional development and research, and to playing our part in strengthening pharmacy education and healthcare in the South East and beyond.”
James Carr Director of Pharmacy, UPMC Ireland
The signing comes just days after World Pharmacists Day 2026 on 25 September, which this year took place under the theme ‘Empowering pharmacists for healthier futures’, highlighting the importance of equipping pharmacists with the skills, recognition, and support needed to respond to changing healthcare needs.
The agreement with UPMC is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships being developed by SETU’s Department of Pharmacy to connect education with different areas of professional pharmacy practice.
The partnerships reflect SETU’s approach to developing a sectorally connected MPharm programme, providing students with opportunities to learn from and engage with professionals across community, hospital, industrial and role emerging settings.
Through its collaboration with UPMC, SETU will seek to further enhance authentic learning opportunities for pharmacy students while supporting professional development, knowledge exchange and future collaboration between academia and healthcare practice.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to preparing the next generation of pharmacists with the knowledge, experience and professional insight required to contribute to high-quality, patient-centred healthcare.
