A €5 million cross-institutional HRB PhD Scholars Programme in Health Services Research was officially launched by the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney at RCSI today.

This four-year programme aims to improve the delivery of health services in Ireland and internationally through developing committed and skilled health researchers who can assist with future planning. This will impact on the quality of care given, the experience of patients and the overall health of the population.

The innovative Health Research Board (HRB) funded programme is a joint initiative of senior academic staff from RCSI, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Cork (UCC). It provides training for postgraduates in core research skills needed to deliver an evidence basis for health service evaluation and planning. The €5m investment from the Health Research Board will support the intake of 24 PhD students over seven years.

The course will follow the structured Health Research Board PhD training model which aims to broaden the focus of PhD training. The theme is 'Integrated healthcare: from research to policy and practice' and the first nine scholars began the programme in October 2007. A wide range of disciplines and health service experience are represented – from acute hospital medicine to pharmacy, dental care and cancer service evaluation.

Six taught modules are delivered in year one followed by Irish health-related work placements and thesis development. The health research areas covered include; cardiovascular and related diseases; integration of care – older populations, epilepsy, stroke, diabetes; pharmacoepidemiology and health informatics; health economics and health policy; oral health; quality of life and quality of care; gerontology; and global health.

The Programme is led by Professor Hannah McGee (Division of Population Health Sciences, RCSI), Professor Charles Normand (Health Policy, TCD) and Professor Ivan Perry (Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine, UCC).

Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, said: “This initiative will increase the capacity to carry out rigorous Health Services Research in Ireland by suitably skilled researchers. This innovative programme will develop highly qualified PhD scholars who excel in research, policy evaluation and translation of evidence into practice. It will benefit the delivery of healthcare in the Irish system.”

Professor Hannah McGee said: “This is a much more structured way of delivering PhD training. It aims to graduate PhD scholars with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to design, conduct and effectively disseminate nationally and internationally competitive health services research. The multi-disciplinary team assembled to deliver the programme have extensive experience in Health Services Research and strong track records and the collaborating institutions are leading research settings in Ireland in the health and social sciences”.

"This is the sixth HRB-funded PhD Scholars Programme underway in Ireland and by 2013, the HRB will have invested €30m and 142 HRB PhD scholars will be enrolled and on their way to successfully completing their PhD training," said Dr Teresa Maguire , Head of the Research Management Unit at the HRB.