In this series, we continue to introduce people who are experts in the field of oncology.
This week we meet Professors Elaine Lehane and Mark Corrigan
Name: Professor Elaine Lehane
Your background:
I am a senior lecturer at the School of Nursing & Midwifery, University College Cork, where I focus on teaching, research, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to advance practice. As I get older, it sometimes feels like we have more people but less community. We are fortunate to live in the South West where that is definitely not the case. I am particularly proud to have grown up in the beautiful Beara Peninsula, where community is at the heart of daily life.
How does your role help with disease prevention?
Training future healthcare professionals. If I do my job well by teaching nursing and midwifery students, I can help equip the next generation of healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills they need to promote health, prevent diseases, and provide care using the best research available. I am also very mindful of the importance of passing on the passion that we feel for our profession to the next generation.
It’s also in making research work for people. Research often ends up on dusty bookshelves or on obscure specialist websites, but that’s not how it helps people. Given all the effort that goes into conducting research, we need to make it work for everyone in our community. Good research has the power to change lives, but only if we take it off the shelves.
What tip could you give readers to help prevent illness?
Make the best decisions for yourself. These decisions may differ from those of others, but before you decide, gather all the information you need. Always seek out reliable information and ask yourself: where does this come from? Is it reliable? Can I trust it?
Be sceptical of clickbait on the internet and mindful of social media algorithms. Talk to healthcare professionals and use trusted websites from reputable organisations for clear, accurate information. I often find the that the best question to ask a healthcare professional is, ‘If this were you, or your wife, mother, brother, etc., what would you do?’ Ultimately, make the decision that feels right for you, at the time that is right for you.
What myth would you like to dispel about healthcare?
The facts are not always the facts. Sources on the internet, radio, newspapers, may have different reasons for presenting things the way they do. If you were buying a house you would visit it a few times, check the neighbours, look at how long the commute is and get an engineer to check that its ok. Your health is even more important. Put the time into doing your homework and no matter what happens you won’t regret it.
Name: Professor Mark Corrigan
Your background:
I am originally from Tallaght in Dublin but saw the light, and went to university in Cork in 1996. I met a West Cork woman and I was never going to leave after that. I am a surgeon, specialising in breast cancer. While much of my work focuses on treating cancer, I have a big interest in preventing it and finding it early.
How does your role help with disease prevention?
I work closely with Susan, Marie, Hilary Lotty and Dr Hazel O’Sullivan at CUH to identify individuals at increased risk of cancer and implement strategies to reduce that risk, or detect it early. In collaboration with Grace, I am the clinical lead on a program called ‘Transforming Theatre’, which aims to increase surgical capacity across the region, thereby enabling cancer and reconstructive surgeons to offer risk- reduction surgery to those who could benefit most.
Similarly we work with Andy, Dr Peter Kearney and the management team in the South West region to explore every opportunity that empowers people to take control of their own health. Alongside Elaine, Shirely and Gabrielle O’Keeffe, we are leveraging research and teaching to support the great health initiatives currently being delivered throughout our communities.
Currently, all of us are working on a really exciting project to establish Ireland’s first preventative health centre here in the South West region. This centre will focus on helping everyone in our community understand and reduce their own health risks.
What tip could you give readers to help prevent illness?
Use your body. It is the most fabulous machine you will every own. Ignore what other people can do or what they say they do, and focus on what you can do. Do with your body whatever you can. Be active. It doesn’t matter whether that is walking, running, dancing, shuffling or snowboarding. Use it as much as you can. It helps us to feel alive. Encourage the people you love to use theirs as well. Physical activity not only improves mental and physical health but also reduces the risk of cancer, and if we do develop cancer it significantly increases our chances of fixing it.
What myth would you like to dispel about health?
That Cancer is all the same. In reality, there are hundreds of different types of cancer, each with its own symptoms, causes, and treatments. Thanks to ongoing research, we have more treatment options today than ever before. While there can be a role for therapies that complement medical treatments, ‘alternative’ treatments that claim to replace conventional cancer care do not cure cancer and can make it far worse.
If in doubt talk to your health care professional: they really have your best interests at heart, and in Ireland they are exceptionally well trained. We are lucky for lots of reasons to live in 2025, and one of the main ones is that we are in charge of the decisions we make for ourselves. Remember the best treatment, is not to need treatment.
