Learn and engage
The Institute of Global Surgery offers opportunities to learn more about global surgery and supports exchange and elective experiences. Students and healthcare professionals at all levels are welcome to contribute to our programmes.
We are grateful to the many volunteers from RCSI and beyond who make our work possible.
Undergraduate students
Two optional global surgery modules are available to RCSI undergraduate medical students: Introduction to Global Surgery is a student choice option for first and second year students, while Essential Research Skills: A Global Surgery Perspective is available to second year students.
We regularly accept students on the RCSI Research Summer School programme to develop their research skills. We also support undergraduate medical elective placements in Malawi for students from SC1/GEM3. Email fergalaorourke@rcsi.com for more information.
Master’s students
We deliver the Global Surgery module, available to students enrolled in the Master of Surgery (MCh) by Module, and the MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice. We also contribute to the MSc in Population Health Leadership.
Doctoral candidates
We conduct a number of doctoral projects in various areas of global surgery. If you are interested in pursuing a PhD in global surgery, please get in touch with Dr Jakub Gajewski. Email: jakubgajewski@rcsi.com.
We expect to recruit a StAR MD candidate to research the educational impact of the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub to commence July 2027. A call for applications will open in the first week of September 2026, with applications due in November and interviews in early 2027. Contact Eric O’Flynn for more details – email: ericoflynn@rcsi.com.
Surgical trainees
Through the Atlantic Surgical Leadership Exchange programme we facilitate short-term clinical exchanges for ST3-8 surgical trainees to visit Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnamese surgical trainees then undertake a visit to an Irish training hospital. We acknowledge the support of Atlantic Philanthropies to enable this exchange.
Email fergalaorourke@rcsi.com for more information.
Atlantic Surgical Leadership Exchange Programme 2026-27 – application criteria DOCX | 112.3 KB Atlantic Surgical Leadership Exchange Programme 2026-27 – application form DOCX | 76.8 KB
Trainees and in-service clinicians
Through the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies, all Irish postgraduate medical training bodies have collaborated to produce and endorse an online global health course suitable for postgraduate trainees and other healthcare professionals.
It aims to equip healthcare professionals with the foundational knowledge to engage with global health challenges in their everyday work. Through case-based examples and practical insights, this course empowers learners to apply global health principles in their clinical settings and contribute to a more just and sustainable healthcare system. This course has been accredited for two CPD points by the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland.
It is available here to anyone with an RCSI login, and available on the Irish Global Heath Network platform to anyone without an RCSI login.
Volunteer opportunities
We regularly take on undergraduate volunteers for specific projects, from among the RCSI student body, the Irish medical workforce and worldwide. Please email fergalaorourke@rcsi.com for more information.
We are currently recruiting students who are native speakers of French, Spanish or Portuguese to support e-learning translation projects. For more information, please email fergalaorourke@rcsi.com.
Other avenues
We also contribute to global surgery education through numerous partners institutions.
Other organisations provide opportunities to network, learn and engage with global surgery issues. Among these are the International Student Surgical Network (InciSioN) and the Global Anaesthesia, Surgery and Obstetric Collaboration (GASOC) primarily aimed at undergraduate medical students and postgraduate trainees respectively.
Sign up to our newsletter to hear about education, research and volunteering opportunities at the Institute of Global Surgery.
You can also contact us via email, subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Bluesky.