The Irish Association of Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners (IAANMP) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 IAANMP Bursary Awards, recognising excellence, leadership and commitment to the advancement of practice across Ireland.
This year’s Bernie Carpenter Perpetual Bursary is awarded to Tracy Finnegan, Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner (CIT, Louth), to support her completion of a RCPI Diploma in Infectious Diseases. Established in honour of Bernie Carpenter’s legacy to advanced nursing practice in Ireland, this bursary supports innovative practitioners committed to advancing patient care. It promotes professional development through conference attendance or further education, enabling members to engage with current research, access national and international expertise, and strengthen professional networks within advanced practice.
The Trisha McKeown Bursary is awarded to Felicity McFadden, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner-Respiratory Integrated Care Service in Cavan and Monaghan, for her project titled “Evaluation of a Nurse Practitioner-Led Sleep Clinic within a Community Setting, Ireland.” This award commemorates Trisha’s outstanding contribution to advanced practice, recognising her enduring commitment to strategic networking, professional education, mentorship, and the advancement of evidence-based standards of care. The Trisha McKeown Bursary provides the opportunity to pursue professional development in line with the values and mission of the IAANMP, fostering leadership, growth, and excellence within the advanced practice community.
In addition this year, the IAANMP is delighted to award not one, but two dedicated bursaries to support attendance at the upcoming International Council of Nurses (ICN) Nurse Practitioner / Advanced Practice Nursing Network Conference in September in Nashville, USA. This prestigious international forum brings together advanced practice leaders, researchers and policymakers from across the globe to share innovation, influence policy and strengthen the global advanced practice voice. The recipients will represent the IAANMP at this important event, contributing to and learning from international developments in advanced practice.
The winners are Aoife Feeney, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Adjunct Lecturer, Emergency Department, St. James’s Hospital | Trinity College Dublin, who has been accepted for an oral podium presentation titled “Ask Why, Then Change It”: Definition of Research Activity by Irish Registered Advanced Nurse/Midwifery (ANP/AMP) Practitioners; and Aidan Foley, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner, whose scoping review, Strategies to Enhance Nurse Practitioner Research Capacity and Evidence-Based Practice: A Scoping Review, supports his ongoing PhD work at UCD on building research capacity among ANPs.
Congratulations to all our 2026 bursary winners.
