W100 Representative
Abi KellyDirector of International Engagement and External Relations
Abi Kelly joined RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2020 as Director of International Engagement and External Relations with responsibility for the Office for Institutional Research and Planning.
Her role is to support the University’s reputation raising strategy and build its brand among key stakeholders. A key ambition for RCSI is to be recognised in the Top 200 of universities in the world.
Prior to her role with RCSI, Abi spent 8 years at Newcastle University (UK) where she was Executive Director of Corporate Affairs managing the external profile of this Russell Group university. She also led communications for the N8 Research Partnership, a collaborative mission group of the eight research-intensive universities in the North of England.
She has spent 28 years working in the Public Relations industry in the UK, including roles in local and regional government, and as a PR Consultant for private-sector clients including Whitbread and Nissan.
Founded as the national training body for surgery in Ireland, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has been at the forefront of healthcare education since its establishment in 1784. As an independent, not-for-profit institution, we chart our own course in the pursuit of excellence in human healthcare.
Today we are an innovative, world-leading international health sciences education and research institution with undergraduate and postgraduate schools and faculties across the health sciences spectrum. We are home to numerous healthcare institutes as well as leading research centres driving pioneering breakthroughs in human health.
A deep professional responsibility to enhance human health through endeavour, innovation and collaboration in education, research and service inform all that we do. We welcome students and researchers into programmes of academic excellence and a lifelong community of colleagues that is clinically led, nurturing and supportive to enable them to realise their potential to serve our global patient community.
The Latest from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Achieving the #SDGs requires more than scientific discovery - it calls for communication that connects research with real-world change.
In a recent workshop, RCSI researchers explored how storytelling techniques can bring science to life.
Read more ⬇️
Storytelling in research communication
RCSI recognises that tackling today’s most urgent health and development challenges means telling the story of resea...
www.rcsi.com
The engagement workshop was organised by Dr Chiara Pittalis, Antonio Jaén Osuna and Dr Jakub Gajewski from @RCSI_PopHealth and @RCSI_GlobalSurg.
The new @RCSI_Dentistry Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme is using 3D printing technology to facilitate immersive, hands-on learning.
The models can simulate a wide array of clinical scenarios, fostering competence among students.
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#RCSIeducate
Teaching tomorrow’s dentists with 3D-printed teeth
The RCSI School of Dentistry prepares to welcome its inaugural cohort of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students this September. More ...
www.rcsi.com
RCSI is delighted to announce that we will be hosting the Global Health Education Ireland Symposium 2025 - “Ask not what global health education can do for you, but what you can do for it," on Wednesday, 22nd October 2025 in RCSI, 123 Stephen’s Green.
This event is in-person and…
We're proud to announce that RCSI has ranked first in the world for “Good Health and Well-being” in @THEworldunirank #SDG Impact Rankings 2025.
Over 1,780 universities participated in the #SDG3 ranking this year.
https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/news-and-events/news/news-article/2025/06/rcsi-ranked-as-world-number-one-for-good-health-and-well-being
#THEGlobalImpact #THEUniRankings 🧵
🎙️ Commenting on our ranking, Professor Cathal Kelly, RCSI Vice Chancellor, said:
"At a time when global universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate tangible societal value and sustainability, I am incredibly proud of RCSI’s world number one ranking for UNSDG 3."
Read more about the announcement and the initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to collaboration to achieve the @UN #SDGs:
RCSI ranked as world number one for ‘Good Health and Well-being' in THE University Impact Rankings
RCSI has ranked number one in the world for SDG 3 ‘Good Health and Well-being’ in the THE University Impact Rankings 2025. More ...
www.rcsi.com
The patient choir at RCSI’s Mercer’s Medical Centre is supporting recovery and well-being through shared music-making.
Mercer's Melodies is open to anyone attending the centre, with GPs reporting meaningful benefits for those taking part.
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#RCSIengage
‘When I’m singing, I don’t think about my grief’: Choir of patients enriching their lives through...
A Dublin GP practice is the unlikely location where a group of patients meet to sing every week
www.irishtimes.com
A new RCSI study is the first to simulate catheter tracking in digital patient anatomies for TAVR.
Researchers found high tracking forces linked to areas of tissue stress - insights that could guide safer treatment.
Read the paper ➡️ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110558
#RCSIdiscover
Welcoming the first cohort of dental students this September, @RCSI_Dentistry aims to foster empathy and social conscience in future dentists.
Learn more about the course module focused on community and interprofessional engagement ➡️
#RCSIeducate
Connecting communities and classrooms to empower future dentists
The first cohort of students on RCSI’s new Bachelor of Dental Surgery will begin their studies on Ireland’s fi...
www.rcsi.com
How does Alpha-1 antitrypsin therapy reduce inflammation?
Researchers @RCSICritCare show it blocks a key immune signalling pathway, increasing our understanding of inflammation in people with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD).
➡️ https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2023-221071
#RCSIdiscover
RCSI is hosting a free webinar on 17 June at 12:00pm (GMT+1) on Professionalism in Healthcare.
The session will explore how professionalism drives leadership, fosters trust and promotes a culture of accountability in healthcare systems.
Register here ➡️ https://100896engagecms.campusnexus.cloud/rcsio-professionalism-in-healthcare
Developing students tobecome ‘world citizens’
RCSI has extensive international partnerships including:
Clinical/research elective agreements and Erasmus partnerships with an extensive list of international institutions including Johns Hopkins University, McMaster University and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Joint undergraduate Pharmacy programme with Soochow University, China
Transnational education operations/partnerships in Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain), Malaysia (RCSI UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC) and PU-RCSI School of Medicine) and Dubai (RCSI Dubai)
5% of research output produced through international collaboration with 1,758 institutions worldwide (Source: SciVal 2013-2017 accessed February 2019)
Mission and vision
- To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health
- Respect
- Collaboration
- Scholarship
- Innovation
At the global forefront of pioneering medical research
18,000
alumni, practicing in 97 countries
€35.1m
Research grant income 2018
The mission of RCSI’s research strategy is to improve human health through translational research: clinical, laboratory-based and health service research informed by bedside problems, and societal and global health challenges. We promote innovative research that leads to improved diagnostics, therapeutics and devices; tackles important healthcare delivery issues; informs policy and clinical practice and enhances the quality of education of healthcare professionals.
RCSI is developing research centres in areas of excellence and critical mass, focused on clinical and patient-centred research:
- Cancer
- Regenerative Medicine
- Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders
- Surgical Science and Practice
- Population Health and Health Services
- Vascular Biology
Become a Member
The World 100 Reputation Network is a group of the best universities in the world, delivering research that enhances reputation and offering leaders the chance to develop their own careers on a global stage. Members benefit from events and study tours, training, monthly media monitoring, and unique reputation research to provide institutional advantage.