Benefits For Fellows
It is expected that ESI Fellows will gain the following benefits from their participation in the Fellowship scheme:
Call now open. Closing date for full applications: September 29
The overall objective of the Fellowship is to give the Fellow the opportunity to learn about evidence synthesis in general, as well as to develop the practical skills of how to plan, design, conduct and report an evidence synthesis. The scheme places Fellows virtually with experienced evidence synthesis centres and review teams in Ireland and internationally.
Reviews will be advertised each call. Fellows will receive structured theoretical training from ESI and join an existing or new review team being led by experienced reviewers within the respective centre to gain hands-on evidence synthesis experience in a high-quality environment. Fellows will also receive one-to-one mentorship from a designated mentor from the review group. This will afford the Fellow the opportunity of networking with a range of stakeholders in evidence synthesis and will provide direct experience for ESI Fellows in the conduct of evidence synthesis projects that ultimately inform decision making for practice and policy.
Fellowships are open to researchers, policymakers, academics, healthcare professionals or clinician-academic trainees, information specialists, and postgraduate students, who are looking to learn the skills of evidence synthesis to apply to their topic area.
Where can I read about a Fellows experience? Read about ESI Fellow Ciara O’Meara’s experience to date here
Do I have to be resident of the island of Ireland? Yes, all applicants must be residents of either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.
If I applied previously, can I use the same references Yes, we will hold references on file for two rounds
How many times a year will the call be announced? Up to three times a year – generally January, June and October, but these can vary depending on the availability of reviews.
Are these Fellowships paid? The Fellowships are unsalaried, which allows those working full-time to apply, and allows us to place Fellows with highly experienced evidence synthesis centres and review teams in Ireland and internationally for first-rate training and mentorship. Fellows receive access to a €1000 travel bursary, free attendance at ESI training events, co-authorship on high quality review reports/publications and other benefits as described in the guidance documents.
Where can I find the estimated start date and duration of the review? This information is found within each review form. Please note these will vary depending on the nature of the review, and flexibility may be required.
| Evidence Synthesis Method(s) | Mentor | Host Centre | Title | Review Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative/ Prognosis Systematic Review | Valerie Smith | University College Dublin | Association between reduced fetal movements in pregnancy and longer-term child outcomes: a systematic review | Click here |
| Applied methodology / Responsible use of AI for Evidence Synthesis | Nadia Soliman | EPPI Centre | Agentic-mapper: Evaluating the Performance of an Agentic AI Tool for Automated Evidence Gap Mapping | Click here |
| Qualitative and mixed methods / Responsible use of AI in evidence synthesis | Nadia Soliman | EPPI Centre | Is Some Evidence Better than None? Developing a Risk-Benefit Framework for AI-assisted Evidence Synthesis for Policymaking | Click here |
| Applied Methodology / AI-assisted evidence synthesis | Ailbhe Finnerty Mutlu | EPPI Centre | Automated Risk of Bias Assessments using LLMs: Development and Evaluation with DEET | Click here |
| Systematic Review | Francesca Wuytack | Trinity College Dublin | Occupational biomechanical and psychosocial risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among midwives: a systematic review | Click here |
| Umbrella Review of systematic reviews | Janet Curran | Strengthening Transitions in Care, IWK Health, Canada | Stewardship Interventions in Healthcare: An umbrella review | Click here |
| Rapid review or rapid scoping review | Andrea Tricco | Unity Health Toronto | Rapid review for the Public Health Agency of Canada | Click here |
| Qualitative Evidence Synthesis | Niamh McGrath | HRB Evidence Centre | Qualitative evidence review on the barriers and facilitators to offering mid-urethral sling as a treatment for stress urinary incontinence | Click here |
