Elizabeth Shorten Scholarship

At a glance

• Value: €15,000
• You must be a current UCC Student to be eligible for this scholarship
• Questions about this scholarship can be directed to Dsom@ucc.ie

The Elizabeth Shorten Scholarship is made possible thanks to a generous legacy gift.

Elizabeth Shorten was born in 1925 and grew up in Clonmel, County Tipperary. She studied Nursing in the UK and joined the NHS. She returned to Ireland to become Ward Sister in charge of the Cardiothoracic Ward, working with Mr Maurice Hickey, the first cardiothoracic surgeon appointed in Ireland. They were a formidable team and all the nurses she trained were grounded in the number one priority: patient care.

Upon her passing in 2015, she included a generous legacy gift in her will for the cardiac Department, underpinning her appreciation of the affiliation between Cork University Hospital and the University. Her legacy funded a groundbreaking research project by Gerry Allen, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and PhD candidate in CUH/ UCC’s Cardiology Department, and is now the source of a scholarship for MD students at UCC who are pursuing clinically related research in the department of cardiology or cardiothoracic surgery at Cork University Hospital.

Eligibility:

Medical Doctors at SpR / Registrar level in the speciality of Cardiology who intend to enroll as MD students in the UCC School of Medicine to undertake research in the department of cardiology or cardiothoracic surgery at Cork University Hospital. All scholarships will be for 1 year in the first instance with an opportunity to extend to 2 years pending a satisfactory 1 year review.

Application process:

Candidates are requested apply to UCC with a 2-page application outlining the project title, scientific background, hypothesis, specific aims, methodology and analysis to be used. The project must be clinical research focused on patients in the Cardiology/Cardiothoracic departments in CUH. Please submit the application via Dsom@ucc.ie 

Application deadline:  January 31st 2026

There will be a review process with successful candidates informed by April 30th 2026 and an expected commencement of the first scholarships in July 1 2026.