abi kelly Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI)

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.

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI)

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.

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RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Ranked #1 in the world for SDG3 'Good Health and Well-being' in the THE Impact Rankings 2025.

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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:

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.

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