Overseas Training - Dr Richard Steevens' Scholarship 
The Dr Richard Steevens' Scholarship is awarded annually to Specialist/Senior Registrars with strong records of accomplishment and excellence.
The Scholarship supports doctors to train in centres of excellence overseas in novel areas of medicine and patient care, which are limited or unavailable in Ireland, and to bring the skills gained back to the Irish health service.
Since the Scholarship was developed and established in 2007, 61 doctors have been awarded Scholarships and a further 24 have been awarded bursaries under the programme. A number of past recipients have since been appointed to consultant posts in Ireland.
After due consideration four Scholarships for 2025 were awarded to the following candidates:
- Dr Tim Hurley, SpR in Paediatrics, will undertake a fellowship in the Paediatric neurodisability with a focus on early detection of cerebral palsy at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
- Dr Aoife Murray, SpR in Rehabilitation Medicine, will undertake a fellowship in Advanced Spasticity & Neuro-rehabilitation at the Oxford Centre for Enablement, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
- Dr Niall Khan, SpR in Cardiothoracic Surgery, will commence in the ACGME-accredited fellowship in Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, Ohio, US.
- Dr Niamh O’Halloran, SpR in Interventional Radiology, will undertake a fellowship in the Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
A broad range of specialities is represented in this year’s intake to the Dr Richard Steevens’ Scholarship. The NTDP wishes all the participants every success in the coming year and looks forward to their valuable contribution to the care of HSE patients in the coming years.
Application process for 2026 will be opened soon, candidates must apply through their recognised Postgraduate Medical Training Body. Further information about the programme will be available here.