68 Sustainable Development Through the RCSI Student Engagement and Partnership (StEP) Programme

Dr Graeme Kelly presented how sustainability is being embedded into healthcare education through the RCSI Student Engagement and Partnership (StEP) Programme. Established in 2020, StEP supports co-created projects between students and staff, aligning with RCSI’s institutional strategy and its commitment to advancing the UN SDGs. More than 170 projects involving over 650 staff and student partners have been funded, with many naturally addressing themes of sustainability, equity, curriculum innovation, and inclusion.

To better understand impact, the StEP team undertook a comprehensive review of funded projects, assessing their alignment to the UN SDGs using a newly developed self-assessment toolkit. After exploring automated approaches — including large language models — the team found variable accuracy and opted instead for a structured, human-led framework ranging from no alignment to international-level impact. The analysis revealed strong alignment with SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), reflecting both RCSI’s health sciences identity and its institutional culture of equity and collaboration.

Dr Kelly highlighted two case studies illustrating the programme’s influence. The Represent project addresses the under-representation of diverse skin tones in medical teaching materials. Student partners created a repository of more than 120 clinical images and delivered staff workshops, ensuring more inclusive diagnostic education. A second project, Chagas Hub Ireland, established a community screening initiative for migrants from regions where Chagas disease is endemic. The project promotes equitable access to healthcare and advances awareness of neglected tropical diseases, directly aligning with SDG 3 and SDG 10.

Dr Kelly emphasised that StEP has become a meaningful vehicle for embedding sustainability into everyday educational practice, fostering student agency, and strengthening partnerships that advance RCSI’s strategic commitment to social responsibility and the SDGs.

About the author

name: Dr Graeme Kelly

institution: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dr Graeme Kelly is a Senior Technician in the Department of Chemistry at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.