Medicine

Contact Us School of Medicine
Level 1
Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute
Trinity College
152-160 Pearse Street
Dublin 2

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medadmin@tcd.ie

Director of Health Policy and Engagement

Role and Responsibilities 

The Director of Health Policy and Engagement will have delegated responsibility for the advancement of influencing health policy and the improvement of civic engagement in the School. The Director will play a strategic role in the School, working closely with the Head of School, to promote and enable academic engagement with society and to enhance the flow of scientific evidence into policy to promote wellbeing and public value. 

The responsibilities of the Director of Health Policy and Engagement will include 

 

  • The creation of a culture in the School of Medicine which promotes the achievement and advancement of impacting health policy and engaging with society to improve wellbeing.
  • Leadership in terms of translating research and evidence into policy making at the highest levels in Ireland and internationally where relevant.
  • Creating a more informed School of Medicine leadership through the sharing of key national policy events, initiatives and reforms to facilitate strategic reflection and planning.

Culture of Health Policy and Engagement

An important role of the Director is to encourage TCD staff to demonstrate their, and the University’s, added value to society through policy impact and civic engagement. A key aspect of this is highlighting cases where staff have made a difference above and beyond normal research and teaching activities. This is to be achieved through such activities as:

  • developing a portfolio of case studies of excellent practice in policy impact and engagement.
  • showcasing such case studies on the School of Medicine website or through public lectures.
  • developing additional incentives for activities relating to health policy and engagement (e.g. awards and metrics that relate to policy and engagement activities in performance reviews and promotion).

Leadership around Translation

The Director of Health Policy and Engagement will help facilitate the translation of evidence into national and international policy and practice through his/her own activities and also by supporting colleagues in this process by facilitating training in, and discussions of, translating evidence into policy and of the role of academics in decision-making in society.  The Director will regularly link with key policy and decision-makers in the Irish health system to create better linkages and understanding between TCD, government and other key stakeholders.

Communication around key reforms and policies

To promote more informed strategic planning for the School and its constituent Disciplines and Centres, the Director will encourage sharing and discussion of key news and analyses of major health sector reform initiatives and policies which may impact on the performance of the range of activities of the School of Medicine.

Appointment 

The Director of Health Policy and Engagement will be nominated for appointment by, and will report to, the Head of School. The term of appointment will normally be two years, renewable for a further two, and commencing on the day following the end of Trinity Term of the relevant year. The Director will be a full-time member of the academic staff of the School and will be appointed from among those on the Associate Professor grade 1 or above. The Director will be an ex-officio member of the School Executive.