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Three HRB-Fulbright HealthImpact awards announced
The HRB-Fulbright scholarship is a great opportunity to build long-term academic and professional connections with top U.S. Institutions', says Dr Anne Cody, Head of Pre-Award at the HRB. 'We are delighted to directly support three awards this year, going to investigators from very different professional backgrounds'.
The three HRB-Fulbright HealthImpact scholars are Tara Cusack, Associate Professor of Physiotherapy, University College Dublin (UCD), Dr Amanda Drury, Assistant Professor in Nursing UCD, and Henry (Hal) Duncan, Assistant Professor/Consultant in Endodontics, Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin.
More details on each of their awards are available further below.
'The scholarship provides an opportunity to undertake research or professional development in the USA for a period of between three and six months', adds Dr Cody. 'Applications for the next year's scholarships will open at the end of August 2020'.
As information about the next round of awards becomes available it will be posted in the Fulbright-HRB Health Impact Award scheme notice on the HRB website.
Fulbright-HRB HealthImpact Awardees 2020
Tara Cusack
Tara Cusack is an Associate Professor of Physiotherapy at the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. Interdisciplinarity is her key area of teaching and research. She is the principal investigator of the Horizon 2020 project CHAMELEONS (Championing A Multi-sectoral Education and Learning Experience to Open New pathways for Doctoral Students). This project is developing education for students undertaking doctoral studies in the area of Connected Health (healthcare managed and delivered via technology). As a Fulbright-HRB HealthImpact Scholar, Associate Professor Cusack will research best practice and the needs of interdisciplinary doctoral supervisors in the School of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and within CHAMELEONS which involves doctoral supervisors from across Europe (Finland, Greece, Portugal, Spain). Her research will lead to the co-design of a supervisors toolkit which will provide education and networking opportunities for all supervisors involved in the study.
Amanda Drury
Dr Amanda Drury is an Assistant Professor in Nursing in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, UCD. She is a registered general nurse, with a clinical background in the areas of radiation and medical oncology. Amanda is an Executive Board Member of the European Oncology Nursing Society. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin; she was awarded her PhD in 2018, and held the HRB Research Training Fellowship for Healthcare Professionals between 2014-2018. As a Fulbright-HRB HealthImpact Scholar, Amanda will visit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York. She will continue her research to model the healthcare factors which influence cancer survivors’ quality of life outcomes across various systems of healthcare provision and funding.
Henry Duncan
Henry (Hal) Duncan is an Assistant Professor/Consultant in Endodontics in Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin. He completed higher training in Guy’s Hospital, London and a PhD in the University of Birmingham in the area of epigenetics and pulpal-regeneration. He is currently the principal supervisor for several clinical and scientifically-trained PhD students, has received several research grants, written 14 book-chapters and edited 2-textbooks and has published widely internationally. His research is focused on developing novel therapeutic solutions, which will improve the diagnosis and outcome of treatment of decayed teeth and the damaged pulp. As a Fulbright-HRB HealthImpact Scholar, he will visit Rutger’s University, New Jersey to investigate potential novel roles for matrix metalloproteinase 13, a tissue-collagenase highly expressed in dental tissue during development and repair processes, with the aim of establishing mutually-beneficial collaborations between the U.S. and Ireland focused on the development of next-generation targeted therapeutic solutions for deep decay and toothache.