Travel stipends, free membership, and more – supporting healthcare and medical professionals in underserved regions.
ISQua’s annual scholarship programme ensures that brilliant ideas never stay home for lack of funding. Working with the World Health Organization, we remove financial barriers so healthcare professionals from low- and middle-income settings can shape global conversations on quality and safety.
The ISQua scholarship gives you direct access to knowledge, networks, and opportunities that can shift the direction of your work. From joining a global conference to taking part in our Fellowship programme, this is a practical way to build your skills, raise your profile, and connect with others driving healthcare quality forward.
Mark your calendar with these important scholarship milestones to stay on track. Late applications won’t be accepted, so be sure to apply on time.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
|
Applications Open |
5th May 2026 |
|
Applications Close |
29th May 2026 |
|
Notification of Results |
mid-June 2026 |
|
Deadline to Accept Award |
Within 10 working days of offer |
|
ISQua Conference |
27th – 30th September 2026, Dublin, Ireland |
From full registration to Fellowship access and more – see exactly what’s included, and how each benefit supports your growth.
Attend ISQua’s flagship event with no registration fees. Access all sessions, networking events, challenge circles, and mini-labs across four impactful days.
Stay connected and informed year-round. Get access to exclusive content, research, and professional development tools beyond the conference.
Advance your expertise through the FISQua programme, with full access to training modules, peer forums, and mentorship opportunities.
Get help covering travel and hotel costs. While not a full reimbursement, this stipend eases the financial burden of attending a global event.
Before you apply, make sure you meet the eligibility requirements. This scholarship is designed to support healthcare and medical professionals in regions that need it most.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
|
Geographic Location |
You must live and work in a country classified by the World Bank as Low Income or Lower-Middle Income. |
|
Current ISQua Status |
You must hold an active ISQua Individual Membership or be enrolled in the ISQua Fellowship programme. |
|
Professional Role |
Open to a wide range of professionals including clinicians, researchers, policymakers, educators, and patient advocates. Senior government officials are not eligible. |
|
Financial Need |
Priority is given to applicants from organisations or regions with limited access to funding for professional development. |
|
Application Submission |
You must complete the official online application form and submit it by 26th May 2026 |
|
Supporting Documentation |
You may be asked to provide proof of residency and employment in a qualifying country. |
|
Important Notes |
Scholarships are limited; meeting all criteria does not guarantee selection. Past ISQua Scholarship or Lucian Leape Fellowship recipients within the last five years are ineligible. |
Hear directly from previous ISQua scholarship recipients.
Here’s what you’ll need to submit, and how to put your best foot forward.
Prepare a concise 500-word essay describing how attending ISQua 2026 will advance patient safety in your setting.
Complete the online application.
Upload evidence of employment and country of residence if requested.
Submit before 26th May 2026
Short-listing is performed by an ISQua review panel. If applications exceed places, final selection may be by random draw among the highest-scoring candidates.
Receive results by email. Accept your award within 10 working days.
Got questions? We’ve answered the most common ones below to help guide you through the scholarship process.
The scholarship does not cover full travel costs to the conference, any other costs incurred during the conference, Visa processing fees, or travel to and from airports.
A multidisciplinary panel of ISQua staff and external advisors score each application against published criteria.
Amounts vary by region and funding availability; recipients receive exact figures with their offer letter.
Yes, provided your membership is active on the closing date and you renew before the conference.
This scholarship targets applicants from Low- and Lower-Middle-Income countries. Students from high-income nations are not eligible.
Quality of application is primary, but accepted abstracts demonstrate commitment and may strengthen your case.
Unfortunately, the award will be withdrawn.
Yes, but each applicant must submit an individual form. Scholarships are awarded to people, not institutions.
No. Recipients arrange travel and claim stipend reimbursement post-conference.
The travel stipend can be used to cover travel and accommodation costs.
Fellowship access begins immediately after the conference and lasts 12 months; deferral is not available.
Applications are now open! Prepare your submission and be ready to step onto the Dublin stage with the world’s leading quality improvement community.
Never miss an application window or funding update. Subscribe to our newsletter for scholarship alerts, conference calls, and member resources.
Nourhan, a quality and safety coordinator with eight years of experience in ambulatory healthcare in Lebanon, aims to deepen her understanding of the systemic and holistic approach to healthcare through this fellowship.
She aims to identify gaps and develop tailored interventions that address specific contexts rather than applying general solutions. Engaging with diverse professionals and perspectives during this educational journey will expand the application of these concepts across different cultural settings.
Nourhan emphasizes the importance of promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement within healthcare institutions, considering it a vital leadership responsibility to integrate quality and safety initiatives into the organizational culture.
Nourhan's commitment to patient safety and quality management includes sourcing practical resources and transforming insights into actionable knowledge to drive continued progress in healthcare practices and outcomes.
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Elom is passionate about improving quality of care and patient safety outcomes.
In view of this, he has had the opportunity to work in various capacities with various organisations including AfIHQSA, WHO, UNICEF and others undertaking research, supporting the development of national quality policies and strategies, facilitating the establishment of quality governance systems across all the levels of the health sector and building capacity of national and sub-national quality leads/teams to institutionalize the practice of quality and patient safety across the continent.
He has also worked extensively across all levels of care in the health sector of Ghana, including leading the Quality & Patient Safety program in its largest teaching hospital.
I would like to use this Fellowship as a learning platform and an opportunity to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies to complement ongoing efforts by like-minded individuals and organizations to continuously advance improve the quality and patient safety in Ghana and the continent.
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Stephen is a Senior Programme Officer at the Institute of Human Virology in Nigeria as well as Country Representative for Health Information for All (HIFA).
Stephen plans to use this opportunity to maximise his impact by championing the cause of patient safety and quality in Nigeria and across Africa.
Stephen says "Quality and safety is a major wheel through which universal healthcare coverage can be achieved. The goal is to be a bridge in the gap between the International Quality Improvement and Patient Safety community and my country to ensure rapid spread, adoption, implementation and practice."
We are looking forward to working with both Stephen and our 2020 winner Rhoda Kalondu over the next year.
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Rhoda is the Head of the Patient Safety Unit at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi and wants to use this Fellowship to learn how to establish a culture of safety and develop systems for assessment and analysis at her institution, and more widely. As well as this, Rhoda intends to develop and execute an intervention to improve patient safety in Kenyatta National Hospital.
It is one thing to institute measures and processes for improvement, but quite another to change the culture of an environment. Rhoda's ambition to lead others in this change inspired the panel.
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I am an MBBS graduate from Calcutta University with a Gold Medal in Gynecology & Obstetrics.
I have completed M.D in Pharmacology from IPGME& R, Kolkata and have over 12 years of experience in the field of Clinical Research, Pharmacovigilance and Medication management in Hospitals.
I have completed certification in Clinical Research Administration & Project Management from Stanford University, USA and in Patient Safety from Johns Hopkins University, USA.
I am an Assessor for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Health care providers (NABH), India assessing hospitals for medication safety and clinical quality standards and NABH Assessor for Ethics Committee Accreditation program in India as well.
I serve as the Chairperson, Institutional Ethics Committee of Health Point Hospital, Kolkata and am associated with 2 other Hospital ethics committees as a member.
I finished my Fellowship in Healthcare Quality from the International Society of Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) from Ireland in 2017.
I have published several research articles and have also authored a chapter on “Regulations governing Clinical Trial” in the book “Fundamentals of Clinical Trial & Research”.
I am a peer reviewer for prestigious international journals like the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, CNS Drugs and Drug Safety case reports.
I am the recipient of the UK Seth Oration Award for Best Clinical Pharmacology paper by the Indian Pharmacological Society in 2009 and the “Most promising Healthcare professional in Patient Safety in India” award by the Asian African Chamber of Commerce and Industry in October 2018.
Recently in April 2019, I received the Young Quality Achiever award by Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), India for 2019 for my work in the field of medication safety and clinical research.
I have a keen interest in teaching and am visiting adjunct faculty of Pharmacology at KMC, Mangalore, India and for Healthcare technology at MAKAUT, Kolkata, India.
I was associated with Stanford University School of Medicine, in the USA as a Senior Clinical Research Associate from 2015 to 2017 and have certification in Biostatistics, Evidence-based Medicine and Medical Writing from Stanford University.
Currently, I am working as the Clinical Director of Academics, Medical Quality and Clinical Research at Peerless Hospital and B K Roy Research Centre, Kolkata.
I am very happy and thrilled to receive the prestigious ISQua Lucian Leape Patient safety Fellowship Award for 2019 and I look forward to honing my skills further in the field of healthcare quality and patient safety through my experiences during this fellowship.
I sincerely believe that successful completion of this fellowship will help me evolve as a more confident Patient safety leader in India who in turn can provide significant inputs on policy changes through NABH for the Indian healthcare system.
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