Fulbright Awards: UCD scholars selected for coveted transatlantic prize
Posted 13 June, 2022
Four coveted (opens in a new window)Fulbright scholarships have been awarded to students and scholars at University College Dublin, enabling them to take up roles at some of America’s best universities and institutions.
The group are among 40 recipients of this year’s Fulbright Irish Awards, whose awardees will address pressing societal issues while in the US.
“The Fulbright Program continues to be an enduring, rich, and affirmative part of the relationship between both countries. In addition to the brilliance of Fulbright awardees, the programme is wonderfully supported by our stakeholders and sponsors,” said Dr Dara FitzGerald, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland.
The 2022 UCD awardees are from disciplines spanning inclusion health, the Irish diaspora, the Irish language, and the rights of asylum seekers.
(opens in a new window)Dr John P Gilmore is Assistant Professor in Nursing at University College Dublin. His research, teaching and scholarship broadly centres around themes of inclusion health, social justice, LGBTQ+ Health and broader sexual health.
His PhD, awarded with examiners commendation in 2021, explored Irish Gay Men’s experiences of discussing sexuality with healthcare practitioners. He continues to practice clinically and has over a decade of experience in areas of Critical Care, Emergency, Sexual Health, Intellectual Disability and Rehabilitation.
As a Fulbright-HRB HealthImpact Scholar John will visit the Center for Gender and Sexual Minority Health at the University of California San Francisco to explore enablers and barriers to community-led LGBT healthcare.
Alswyn Hennessy Doyle is a graduate of Nua-Ghaeilge and Media Studies at Maynooth University.
She is currently completing an MA in Scríobh agus Cumarsáid na Gaeilge at University College Dublin, where she teaches Irish to international students.
She has worked with Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael Linn and Foras na Gaeilge.
Alswyn’s other interests include broadcasting on RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2FM, Raidió Rí Rá and Raidió na Life. As a Fulbright FLTA, she will teach the Irish language and take classes at Villanova University, Philadelphia.
Rose Higgins is a graduate of University College Dublin. A passionate advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, upon graduation Rose took up a position with the Irish Refugee Council.
As a Fulbright-Notre Dame LLM Awardee, she will undertake research on the role of visa law and policy in the context of family reunification in the wake of humanitarian emergencies.
She hopes to demonstrate the capacity of compassionate visa policy to contribute to multifaceted and effective responses to disasters and to the establishment of safe and legal pathways to safety.
Dr Darragh Gannon is Head of Irish Studies at University College Dublin and Vice President of the Global Irish Diaspora Congress. He has published widely on the Irish diaspora and the Irish Revolution, and is currently completing a fourth book, entitled Worlds of Revolution: Ireland’s ‘Global Moment’, 1919-1923.
As Fulbright Irish Scholar, he will teach Irish History at Georgetown University; research the influence of Irish America on the creation of independent Ireland at the Library of Congress; and collaborate with the Irish Embassy in Washington DC to mark the centenary of the Irish State.
The global Fulbright Program was established in 1946, and the Fulbright Commission in Ireland annually awards grants for Irish citizens to study, research, or teach in the US and for Americans to do the same in Ireland.
Since its formation, over 2,500 postgraduate students, scholars, professionals, and teachers across all disciplines have participated in the programme between the US and Ireland.
The Commission is supported by the US Department of State and the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
The next round of applications for Fulbright Irish Awards will open on 31st August 2022, interested candidates should visit (opens in a new window)here for more information.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
