The Employment-based PhD Scholarships Programme for Health Science Professionals was launched in 2020-21 in the College of Medicine and Health, UCC to provide an opportunity for Health Science Professionals to conduct research whilst in employment. In line with UCC Futures and the UCC Research Charter, the Programme is designed to enhance and sustain excellence in graduate education in healthcare and health sciences, and to deepen collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry partners. 

The scholarship programme offers candidates in employment the opportunity to pursue research in collaboration with their employer, to strengthen translational research and build expertise as a health scientist. PhD candidates develop key knowledge and research skills linked with employer needs for a knowledge-based society. Under the guidance of Graduate Studies in UCC and in the College of Medicine and Health, PhD candidates are afforded the opportunity to develop lifelong and life-wide skills through transferrable skills training modules, workshops, digital badge microcredentials and mentoring in line with the Irish University Association Doctoral Skill’s Statement. High quality supervision is provided by experienced and esteemed academic supervisors.

For the employment partner, the PhD scholarship programme provides a low-risk, flexible route to research talent in an area closely aligned with its strategic interests. It deepens collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry partners. Employers have the benefit of a research-skilled employee with specific, generic and transferable skills underpinned by the National Framework for Doctoral Education. Research is generated for the benefit of the employer and the wider community in the context of healthcare and health sciences.

Recipients of the Scholarships:

Awardees were selected by a panel of assessors according to criteria associated with scientific excellence, impact, the supervisory team, PhD training and supports, and the enthusiasm of the candidate to enhance health research.

Five scholarships were offered in 2020-21 on a pilot basis from UCC^a and Five scholarships were offered in 2021-22 (one of which was sponsored by APC Microbiome Ireland and one by the INFANT Research Centre)^b. 

At Bright Futures we have five of the awardees who will share their journeys with us.

Mala Shah MPSI, Chief 2 Antimicrobial Pharmacist National Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship Team Quality and Patient Safety. HSE Community Operations

Project Title: Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care

Supervisory Team: Dr Aoife Fleming and Dr. Teresa Barbosa, School of Pharmacy, UCC

Employment Mentors: Ms Bernadette Love, HSE

“The Employment based PhD scholarship has given me the opportunity to focus on improving several skills, e.g. critical appraisal, application and understanding of use of statistical tests, conducting and analysing qualitative interviews as well as writing skills. These skills are transferable to my role as Chief Antimicrobial Pharmacist, and I can use them to also support my staff in developing these skill areas.

Importantly, the work undertaken during the PhD to date has made a significant contribution to the identification of strengths and areas of improvement in Ireland in antibiotic use, particularly for respiratory tract infections in primary care. New guidelines for acute bronchitis in children and bronchiolitis have been developed as a result of presentation of findings to the national Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Prevention Control clinical team. Further work in the use of point if care tests for respiratory tract infections in underway.

Collaboration with other national and European experts in the field of antimicrobial stewardship research has been very rewarding, and this will enhance our national approach to antimicrobial stewardship research and practice.”

Mala Shah, Employment-based PhD scholar 2020-21 

**Sarah Fenton, Pharmacy Department, Cork University Hospital

Project Title: Health Technology Assessment of the new model of preterm parenteral nutrition in Ireland.

Supervisory Team: Professor Eugene Dempsey and Dr Ann-Marie Brennan INFANT Research Centre, UCC and Cork University Maternity Hospital; Dr Aileen Murphy, Department of Economics, UCC; Professor Ciara Heavin, Business Information Systems, UCC; Dr Brendan Murphy, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, UCC; Dr Aoife Fleming, School of Pharmacy, UCC

Employment Mentor: Deirdre Lynch, Pharmacy Department, CUH

**Sponsored by INFANT Research Centre

Louise Murphy, Department of Rheumatology, Cork University Hospital

Project Title: Development of an education intervention to enhance newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients' knowledge of cardiovascular comorbidities and modifiable risk factors

Supervisory Team: Dr. Patrick Cotter, Dr. Nicola Cornally, Dr Mohamad Saab School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC; Dr Sheena McHugh, School of Public Health, UCC

Employment Mentor: Professor Grainne Murphy, Department of Rheumatology, CUH

“The successful award of this scholarship has had and will continue to have a profound benefit to my clinical service and to my organisation. It will motivate other nurses to pursue and drive nurse-led clinical research within Cork University Hospital (CUH). It will pave the way for future advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) to seek a collaborative approach to research and create alliances between the academic institute and acute services. It demonstrates commitment and recognition that research is an integral and essential component of advanced practice and vital to my role as ANP within CUH. It demonstrates to other nurses that by embracing research and driving innovation in the acute services we can be a conduit of change and help services adapt to constant changing and demanding healthcare needs. Promoting a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to research demonstrates to the organisation that UCC is committed to supporting research and professional development in every discipline including nursing.

Working in advanced practice I realise the importance of clinical research and its application to practice to design and deliver optimal evidence-based patient care. I am dedicated to furthering my academic career and wanted to undertake a robust and impactful piece of research to improve patient care in rheumatology. This scholarship has given me the opportunity to fulfil my academic goals and learn new research skills applicable to practice. This will benefit the service, patients, the organization and academic alliances for years to come. The College of Medicine and Health has always held my attention as giving invaluable contributions to global health science research. It is, therefore, a true honour to be awarded this PhD scholarship.”

Louise Murphy, Employment-based PhD scholar 2021-2022

Danielle McGeown, HSE Dental Services, St Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork

Project Title: An investigation of the biological and physical characteristics of dental aerosols generated during dental procedures provided to a diverse patient group attending community dental services in Ireland.

Supervisory Team: Professor Mairead Harding and Dr Catherine Gallagher, UCC and Cork University Dental School and Hospital; Professor Michael Prentice and Professor Cormac Gahan, APC Microbiome Ireland, UCC and Dr Stig Hellebust, School of Chemistry, UCC.

Employment Mentor: Dr Niamh Galvin, HSE National Oral Health Office

*Sponsored by APC Microbiome Ireland

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to commence my employment-based PhD for health professionals. I have for many years toyed with the idea of doing a PhD, but the reality is that it's a difficult decision when you have competing priorities. Having spent much of my twenties in full-time education, I am now a decade older, with a young family and financial commitments, meaning the opportunity to give up employment and go into research was just no longer feasible for me. This programme gives me the opportunity to pursue my passion in research and academica, whilst remaining gainfully employed. For my employer, the HSE, it provides the opportunity to answer a research question that is currently of real value and will have an impact on clinical practice. It is always difficult to progress research in the context of a busy clinical job, when it is considered a side project so to have designated research time and support, as part of the employment-based model, is vital. Often when reading research papers, I struggle to really see how the outcomes apply when the clinical scenario can look so different from the research conditions. One way to overcome this is to develop research based on the clinical needs of the diverse patient populations who access our services. I am hoping my research will do this.” 

Danielle McGeown, Employment-based PhD scholar 2021-22

Peter Murphy, Alliance Medical Diagnostic Imaging Unit, Cork University Hospital

Project Title: Early detection of breast cancer phenotypes using AI assessment of background parenchymal enhancement in MRI.

Supervisory Team: Prof. Mark McEntee, School of Medicine, UCC; Prof. Max Ryan, Radiology Department, CUH; Prof. Michael Maher, Radiology Department, CUH

Employment Mentor: Maria Godley, Regional Manager, Alliance Medical Diagnostic Imaging Ltd

“I have found the PhD journey so far to be rewarding, challenging and it has very much reignited my interest in research. By combining my clinical work with my area of research I have discovered layers of new knowledge that I would otherwise not have been exposed to which benefits me, my employer and my fellow clinical colleagues. I have met and engaged with a whole new network of experts, academics, educators and professionals. The PhD allows me to match the strong research focus of the College of Health and Medicine with my clinical experience and adds significant value and depth to the research I can undertake for the College.”

Peter C Murphy, Employment Based PhD Scholar 2020-2021 

The scheme:

The Scholarship Programme is open to those who are in full-time or part-time employment, who are excited by research and have a strong desire to enhance health research.

• Scholarships funded annual PhD registration fees PLUS €5,000 per annum if full time or €2,500 per annum if part time for associated research costs, over a maximum of 4 years (full-time) or 6 years (part-time).
• The PhD candidate remains a salaried employee and concurrently registers as a PhD student at UCC for the duration of the PhD project.