The Dean Medal Award

Black and white portrait of Dr. Geoffrey Dean, MS researcher

Geoffrey Dean was an internationally regarded epidemiologist who, in several seminal studies, established the importance of environmental influences on the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. His work continues to have relevance to this day. Active in research up to his death, Dr Dean published a total of 120 papers during his illustrious career. His last was published in 2008 at the age of eighty-nine.

The Dean Medal Award, established in 2010, is intended to enable new MS researchers to travel to centres of excellence to enhance their understanding and knowledge of MS. MS Ireland wishes to encourage the dynamic and innovative work so keenly exemplified by Dr Geoffrey Dean.

Previous Awardees

2023
In 2023, the award was made to Dr Brendan Kelly who travelled to visit Prof Pearse Keane Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Lab at University College London. His goal was to extend a current AI change detection project, integrating the newest transformer-based models. The lab, being among the leading academic institutions globally, boasts unique links to Google DeepMind, a pivotal player in recent AI history with groundbreaking advancements like AlphaGO and AlphaFOLD.

2017
In 2017, the award was made to Sravanthi Bandla of NUI Galway who travelled to the University of Glasgow to gain a better understanding of the therapeutic activity of ER chaperones in the context of multiple sclerosis.

2015
In 2015, a second award was made to Dr Nonnie McNicholas from St Vincent’s Hospital who travelled to the Karolinska Institute in Sweden to further her research into to the measurement of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers indicative of disease progression in people with MS. Read more about Dr McNicholas’ work in our research eZine.

2011
In 2011, the first award was made to Mary O'Flaherty from NUI, Galway. Mary worked in the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science and was working on an MS project looking at how molecules associated with a particular kind of cellular stress known as ‘endoplasmic reticulum stress’ may affect how well brain slices recover from myelin loss. Mary used the bursary to travel to Imperial College London to study with Professor Richard Reynolds regarding a particular procedure used in her studies.

The Dean Medal Travel Bursary is currently closed for applications.

The most recent application deadline was 31 March 2026. Details of the application process are provided below for reference.

Grant

MS Ireland offers the Dean Medal to early career MS researchers to enable them to:

  • Undertake short visits to other MS research centres, to learn new techniques, or to further joint research projects
  • Encourage cross-fertilisation of skills through collaborative research

Award details:

  • One award approximately every two years
  • Value: €2,000
  • Funding contributes towards travel and living costs or to extend an existing grant

Eligibility

  • Individuals working in Ireland, preferably early career researchers directly involved in an MS research project
  • Candidates must have identified a suitable project, engaged with a host supervisor, and secured two written references
  • Projects must be related to MS

Additional requirements:

  • Research must comply with the HSE National Policy for Consent in Health and Social Care Research
  • Ethical approval must be secured from the host institution

Application Deadline

The most recent deadline was 31 March 2026.

Application Procedure (For Reference)

When the bursary is open, applicants are required to submit:

  • A letter outlining reasons for applying
  • A Curriculum Vitae
  • Two references
  • A project/research description (maximum two A4 pages), including:
    • Background
    • Aims
    • Methodology

A list of references may be included as an appendix, along with figures if required.

  • A signed letter of support from the host institution (on headed paper)

Submission requirements:

  • Electronic copies via email
  • Hard copies by post

Submission details:

  • Email: alisonc@ms-society.ie
  • Post: Alison Cotter, Advocacy & Research Officer, MS Ireland, MS Care Centre, 65 Bushy Park Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 CV90

Selection

Applications are reviewed by the MS Ireland Research Committee. Please allow four to six weeks for a decision.

Evidence of Results

Successful applicants are required to:

  • Submit a short report following completion of the research
  • Provide copies of any resulting papers, abstracts, or posters

Publications should acknowledge MS Ireland’s Research Committee and, where possible, reference www.ms-society.ie

Contact

Queries regarding future applications should be submitted by email to:
alisonc@ms-society.ie

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