RCSI and the Beacon Hospital have today announced a strategic partnership to support early career physicians in advancing research qualifications while maintaining clinical practice. Submissions are sought from interested candidates who wish to undertake a Doctorate in Medicine (MD) Degree through the Strategic Academic Recruitment (StAR) Programme.

The MD degree offers candidates the opportunity to strengthen translational research output while building expertise as a clinical scientist. Candidates will be based at the Beacon Hospital, enhancing clinician-scientist research collaborations, while also working in a relevant RCSI laboratory or research setting.

Welcoming the announcement, Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI said: “RCSI's Strategic Academic Recruitment (StAR) Programme is an ambitious initiative to accelerate the delivery of innovative, impactful research in the health sciences across a range of critical research themes. The StAR MD programme supports clinical research and training with the patient always as the focal point”.

The MD degree is one of the highest degrees awarded, at level 10 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. The programme encompasses funded clinical work, MD fees for two years (valued at €9,200) and a research consumable budget of €20,000 per registrant.

Candidate research profiles should align with one of RCSI’s or the Beacon Hospital’s areas of research strength including Acute Care Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia & Critical Care Medicine, Cancer & Palliative Care, Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Perinatal Health, Medicine (Respiratory, Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology), Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Population Health and Health Science, Regenerative Medicine, Surgical Science and Practice (Robotics, Urology & Plastics), and Vascular Biology and Diagnostic Imaging.

For enquiries please contact starmd@rcsi.ie or treasa.nolan@beaconhospital.ie.

About RCSI

RCSI is ranked among the top 250 (top 2%) of universities worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2018) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. RCSI is a signatory of the Athena SWAN Charter.

About Beacon Hospital

Located in South Dublin, Beacon Hospital is one of the most advanced private hospitals in Europe, with over 1300 Consultants, nurses and healthcare professionals. Beacon Hospital provides 24 hour, world-class acute care services including orthopaedics, physiotherapy, cardiology, women’s health, urology, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, plastic & reconstructive surgery, ENT, neurology, general surgery, comprehensive cancer care and emergency medicine. The private hospital, which opened in October 2006, has 210 beds, nine operating theatres, and two linear accelerators.