Niall Stevens

Niall Stevens is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in Dublin, Ireland. He has been in this position since October 2013 and is actively involved in teaching, research, and professional activities related to clinical microbiology and medical education.

Dr. Stevens' educational background includes:

• BA (Mod) in Microbiology from University of Dublin, Trinity College (1999-2003)
• PhD in Clinical Microbiology from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (2004-2007)
• Higher Diploma in Health Professions Education from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (2014-2015)

His primary research interests focus on staphylococcal biofilm infections, particularly in neurosurgical device-related infections and the host response within the central nervous system. He has collaborated extensively on investigating novel therapies for catheter-related staphylococcal infections involving biofilms, with a particular emphasis on cold air plasma technology for eradicating bacteria from hospital environments. More recently, his research has shifted toward novel therapies for chronic wound infections such as infected diabetic foot ulcers.

In the field of medical education, Dr. Stevens has focused on technology-enhanced learning approaches to improve undergraduate healthcare professional education in Clinical Microbiology. His work includes evaluating podcasts, online quizzes, infection prevention control modules, and developing antibiotic-focused educational resources. He has also researched the impact of student response devices ('clickers') on learning experiences in multidisciplinary case-based teaching.

Analysis of Dr. Stevens' recent publications reveals a strong trend toward antibiotic stewardship and surgical antibiotic prophylaxis research, alongside continued work in medical education and infection control. His work spans multiple disciplines including clinical microbiology, healthcare quality improvement, and educational technology.

Dr. Stevens is actively involved in research funding through multiple "Research Summer School" grants from RCSI (2019-2026) and a project focused on optimizing RT-PCR detection methods for Clostridioides difficile. As a Senior Lecturer, he coordinates intermediate cycle clinical microbiology teaching in the undergraduate medical course at RCSI and serves as module leader for the Foundations in Microbiology module.