Posted 28 August, 2026
Research Fellow (Health Improvement and Equity Fellow)
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Full Time
Reference: 1464447648
Trinity is Ireland's leading university and is ranked 75th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2026). Founded in 1592, the University is steeped in history with a reputation for excellence in education, research, and innovation, which has been inspiring generations of thinkers for over 400 years. Thrive: Trinity College Dublin's Strategic Plan 2025 - 2030
The fellow will work as part of a team to pilot, refine and operationalise an Irish-specific Health Equity Audit (HEA) toolkit to support real-time service improvement and evaluation in the Irish health service. This collaborative project is supported by HSE Spark Innovation funding. The fellow will work across the Office of the National Director of Health Improvement and the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin.
Despite widespread recognition of the need to address health inequalities, there is a lack of a consistent, standardised approach to assessing health equity within service development, improvement and evaluation in Ireland. Currently, consideration of population health outcomes and inequalities is variable, often implicit, and dependent on individual expertise rather than embedded processes. This results in inconsistent decision-making, missed opportunities for prevention, and limited ability to systematically address health inequalities.
This gap has direct implications for patients, service quality, and system performance. Services may not be optimally aligned with population need, particularly for underserved groups, leading to inequitable access, avoidable demand, and poorer health outcomes. The lack of structured assessment also limits the system's ability to anticipate risks, integrate prevention, and deliver services that are safe, effective, equitable and sustainable.
Application Procedure
• Applicants should submit a full Curriculum Vitae to include the names and contact details of 2 referees (including email addresses) and a brief letter of interest in this post to:-
Professor Noel McCarthy
Email: [email protected]
PLEASE USE THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR APPLICATION: Health Improvement and Equity Fellow
Full Job Description can be found below
Our Values - putting our words into action Values matter. They are key to the success of our Strategic Plan. We centre our behavioural values around the importance of belonging. We recognise that the university will thrive by each of us respecting and caring for one another. We know we can achieve much more through working together. We know too that we must take responsibility for our actions and be accountable. We must, and will never stop, imagining. And through being nature positive we connect not just with the environment but with our ambitions for a sustainable future.
At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those who have been displaced due to war.
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's premier University. We are an EU Sustainable Gender Equality Champion and we hold an Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our ongoing work to advance gender equality both within Trinity and in the Higher Education sector. Trinity is committed to supporting work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment.
The fellow will work as part of a team to pilot, refine and operationalise an Irish-specific Health Equity Audit (HEA) toolkit to support real-time service improvement and evaluation in the Irish health service. This collaborative project is supported by HSE Spark Innovation funding. The fellow will work across the Office of the National Director of Health Improvement and the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin.
Despite widespread recognition of the need to address health inequalities, there is a lack of a consistent, standardised approach to assessing health equity within service development, improvement and evaluation in Ireland. Currently, consideration of population health outcomes and inequalities is variable, often implicit, and dependent on individual expertise rather than embedded processes. This results in inconsistent decision-making, missed opportunities for prevention, and limited ability to systematically address health inequalities.
This gap has direct implications for patients, service quality, and system performance. Services may not be optimally aligned with population need, particularly for underserved groups, leading to inequitable access, avoidable demand, and poorer health outcomes. The lack of structured assessment also limits the system's ability to anticipate risks, integrate prevention, and deliver services that are safe, effective, equitable and sustainable.
Application Procedure
• Applicants should submit a full Curriculum Vitae to include the names and contact details of 2 referees (including email addresses) and a brief letter of interest in this post to:-
Professor Noel McCarthy
Email: [email protected]
PLEASE USE THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR APPLICATION: Health Improvement and Equity Fellow
Full Job Description can be found below
Our Values - putting our words into action Values matter. They are key to the success of our Strategic Plan. We centre our behavioural values around the importance of belonging. We recognise that the university will thrive by each of us respecting and caring for one another. We know we can achieve much more through working together. We know too that we must take responsibility for our actions and be accountable. We must, and will never stop, imagining. And through being nature positive we connect not just with the environment but with our ambitions for a sustainable future.
At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those who have been displaced due to war.
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's premier University. We are an EU Sustainable Gender Equality Champion and we hold an Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our ongoing work to advance gender equality both within Trinity and in the Higher Education sector. Trinity is committed to supporting work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment.
