News within Clinical Medicine
Five year grant awarded to Professor Joseph Keane to support a PhD programme for clinician-scientists in Tuberculosis research.
The Institute of Molecular Medicine on the St James’s Hospital campus has a track record of attracting clinicians into PhD and MD research thesis work. Such activity is required to generate the next generation of clinician scientists who can lead our academic hospital research endeavours. The Royal City of Dublin Hospital Trust has awarded 5 years funding to support a programme that will generate an opportunity for junior doctors to carry out and complete postgraduate work in tuberculosis immunology. Tuberculosis remains a global health emergency and a public health priority in Ireland. The group at St James undertake immunology research with a view to generating better vaccines, tests and treatments for this disease, which kills 1.5 million people each year. This new programme of research will be supported by the established TB immunology research laboratory at St James’s. Previous clinician scientists with the group include Dr Cliona Ni Cheallaigh (Infectious Diseases) who has recently graduated with a PhD. Dr Laura Gleeson (Respiratory SpR) is also underway with her PhD work, and is funded by the HRB. The current award was merited by the productive work of the SJH/TCD TB immunology research team - that have recently published in the Blue journal (AJRCCM) and presented their research at the Keystone Symposium and the ATS.