The Irish Cancer Society is delighted to announce the winners of our 2020 Summer Studentships. The Summer Studentship programme offers undergraduate students the opportunity to undertake a cancer research project and to work with established researchers in high-quality academic environments.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, these excellent students will continue to conduct their research safely and remotely, supported by their universities and supervisors.
Researcher: Christina Gleeson, BSc Psychology student at National University of Ireland, Galway
Project: The psychosocial impact on quality of life for Lynch syndrome patients in Ireland
Lynch Syndrome is a condition passed down from a person’s parents, which increases their risk of developing some cancers. People with Lynch Syndrome may also experience psychological effects, such as anxiety, and reduced quality of life. However, research in the area is limited. Christina’s research will examine, in detail, the quality of life of people with Lynch Syndrome in Ireland.
According to Christina, “diagnosed health conditions can impact numerous areas of a person’s life, and as someone who unfortunately has an ongoing health condition, I could relate to and empathize with challenges faced following a diagnosis.” A Lynch Syndrome diagnosis can impact people in multiple ways, and Christine goes on to explain that “the long-term psychological impact can often prove more challenging on a day to day basis” than anything else. Christine hopes that her research might one day contribute to the development of an intervention for people with Lynch Syndrome.
Christina has a keen interest in psychology, and hopes that, through completing this research project, she will improve her research skills, enhancing the remainder of her studies, and hopefully, contribute to a future career in psychology.
Researcher: Beth McKeague, BA Psychology student at Maynooth University
Project: An analysis of the experience and effect of a familial cancer diagnosis on the health behaviours of family members
People with a history of familial cancer are at an increased risk of developing cancer themselves, with behavioural factors playing an important role. Under the supervision of Dr Rebecca Maguire, Beth’s research aims to better understand the behavioural factors and explore what healthcare organisations can do to better support these individuals.
In describing her motivation for perusing cancer research, Beth notes “my topic of research interests me because it relates to my personal experience of my mother’s cancer diagnosis and how it affected my whole family’s health behaviours and attitudes.”
“I applied for the studentship as not only was it an opportunity to create my own project and gain research experience, but also a chance to support the Irish Cancer Society’s work.”
The Summer Studentship is an opportunity for students to gain invaluable research experience and skills. Beth hopes to learn more about her topic in general and to gain experience in qualitative research, a challenging but valuable skill for any researcher to have.
But importantly, Beth hopes that her research will have a positive impact: “My hope is that my research will help improve people’s understanding of the effect of cancer diagnoses on family members and their health behaviours.”
We wish Beth and Christina all the best in their research projects and we are excited to hear the outcomes.
Please note: Two biomedical science Summer Studentships were also awarded. However, the projects were deferred until 2021 due to CODID-19 restrictions.
