Profile

Professor Patricia Kearney is Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health in UCC.  She is a Board member of the Irish Research Council.  Patricia trained originally in medicine, graduating first in her final UCC Medical School class. She completed training in internal medicine in Ireland and the US and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to undertake a MPH in Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In 2003 she was awarded a Wellcome Trust Cardiovascular Research Initiative Junior Research Fellowship to work as a Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and she was awarded a PhD in Public Health in 2006. In 2007, she was awarded a Beeson Fellowship to work on TILDA, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, and during her fellowship she worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Centre of Aging and Population Health at the University of Pittsburgh as well as a Clinical Research Fellow in TCD. In 2013 she was one of six recipients nationally of the prestigious HRB Research Leader Award to undertake a project on a population approach to the prevention and control of diabetes and she continues to collaborate with knowledge users in the HSE on applying research into policy and practice.  Patricia's research interests focus on chronic disease prevention and she has significant experience of clinical trials, large scale epidemiological research and translation of research into improving health outcomes. 

Types of Mentoring Offered: 1:1 Mentoring (short or long term relationship), Panel Mentoring (6 months or less), Speed Mentoring (one meeting to address specific need)

Mentoring Topics Include: Innovation in Research,Balancing Work and Family Responsibilities,Collaborative Research,Developing an Academic Profile,Writing Grant Applications,Managing/ Leading Grants and Projects,Career Development,Academic Leadership

Approach as a Mentor: I enjoy mentoring and supporting early- to mid-career researchers. When I was starting out in research, I had some great mentors, including Professor Ivan Perry here in UCC, and Professor RoseAnne Kenny in TCD.  They both provided me with guidance and support and understood the professional and personal challenges of developing an academic career. My approach to mentoring has been informed by my experiences and I am keen to understand the challenges a mentee is facing and help them find creative solutions that work for them.