A reminder that applications are closing soon for the Atlantic Surgical Leadership Exchange programme 2026/27
The College is committed to encouraging the acquisition of additional training and skills outside the structured programmes of the College and, to this end, provides a range of scholarships and grants in postgraduate surgery to assist surgeons-in-training to gain additional expertise in centres of excellence overseas.
The Atlantic Surgical Leadership Exchange programme takes the form of a 9 month long (Sep – July) twinning of trainees in the same specialty between Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, and an RCSI surgical training post. This grant is available to ST 3-8 surgical trainees. As part of this twinning programme, both Irish-based and Vietnam-based surgical trainees will travel to the partner institution for a period of four to six weeks. Viet Duc is the largest public hospital in the city, serving over 10 million people in Vietnam’s capitol city.
During the visit, trainees will get an opportunity to experience hands-on surgical care, attend morning rounds and spend time in their state-of-the-art operating theatres. This clinical visit is available in Cardiothoracic (covering both adults and children), GI surgery, Hepatobiliary surgery, Urology, Neurosurgery, Plastic surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and General surgery. Support will be provided for trainees to identify research possibilities, and conduct research throughout the course of the year. Opportunities will also be provided for trainees to remain involved with the RCSI Institute of Global Surgery after the end of the programme.
Application process
Completed application forms, together with relevant documentation, must be submitted to:
FergalAORourke@rcsi.ie by 5pm - Friday 1st May 2026.
Download Application Form Here
Interviews will be held early to mid-May 2026.
Travel Period: From November 2026 – January 2027
Reports
Recipients of the grant must submit a report at the end of their project.
For further information, please contact FergalAORourke@rcsi.ie
Tel: +353 87 631 3082
Kind Regards,
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
