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A day in the Life of Bernadette Mullins

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Bernadette Mullins is Senior Health Promotion and Improvement Officer for Cancer Prevention with HSE Mid West.

My name is Bernadette Mullins, and I am a Senior Health Promotion and Improvement Officer for Cancer Prevention with HSE Mid West. I work closely with the Cancer Prevention team at the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP). My role involves delivery of cancer risk reduction initiatives and raising awareness of cancer signs and symptoms to promote early diagnosis. Research shows that 30-50% of all cancer cases are preventable and we can all take steps to reduce our risk of cancer. I really enjoy this work as cancer prevention is so important —especially since cancer is now the leading cause of death in Ireland.

What I enjoy most about my work..

I find great satisfaction in helping people understand how to reduce their cancer risk and giving them the information and support they need to live healthier lives. I also really enjoy the diversity of my role. While I focus on general cancer prevention, I also work on Ireland’s most common cancers — lung, bowel, skin, breast, and prostate. I work with many different groups of people across many settings. Reflecting on the last month alone, I have worked with HSE staff in primary care, County Council outdoor workers, farmers, primary and secondary school students, Traveller Health Projects, and my colleagues in acute hospital services. This all keeps the job very interesting.

My favourite part of my working day is..

Because my work is so varied, no two days are the same. For example, this morning, I met with a transition year coordinator at a secondary school interested in becoming a ‘SunSmart’ school to prioritise skin cancer prevention. Later today, I’ll be making up information packs for a farmer-focused skin cancer prevention event at a local mart next week. This afternoon, I’ll finalise a presentation for a bowel cancer awareness workshop at a family resource centre in the Sláintecare Healthy Communities area in Limerick City. This workshop will focus on bowel cancer prevention, early diagnosis and the free HSE BowelScreen programme, which aims to detect signs of bowel cancer at an early stage before symptoms appear. It is really important that cancer prevention targets areas with higher deprivation because certain cancers are more common in these groups, and survival rates are lower after diagnosis.

What inspired me to pursue a career in healthcare..

My mother is a nurse, which initially sparked my interest in a career in healthcare. I am passionate about helping people, empowering them to take control over their own health, and supporting them in making informed health choices. Working in the area of cancer prevention has shown me that while public interest in cancer is high, many people don’t realise how much they can do to lower their risk. Our risk of getting cancer is influenced by a wide range of factors and although there are things that we can’t change, like our age and genetics, there are also factors that we can change, like if we are active, what we eat, whether we drink alcohol, and how we protect our skin from the sun. By harnessing this interest, we can drive behaviour change in key lifestyle areas—such as smoking and alcohol consumption which can have a significant impact on cancer prevention.

Key area of focus for our team right now..

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s really busy with campaigns, education sessions, and events to promote bowel cancer prevention, symptom awareness, and screening. We encourage people aged 59 to 70 years to sign up for BowelScreen when invited.

Another big focus is preparing for the HSE and Healthy Ireland SunSmart campaign, which runs from April to September. This campaign is really important, as skin cancer is now the most common cancer in Ireland. My role involves raising awareness of skin cancer prevention and encouraging people to adopt skin cancer preventative behaviours. In Ireland, the UV rays from the sun can damage your skin between April and September—even on cloudy days. Skin damage does not only happen in hot, sunny places which surprises many people. One of my areas of focus for 2025 is working with outdoor workers—like farmers, County Council staff, and construction workers—who have a higher risk of developing skin cancer as they spend long periods of time outdoors exposed to UV rays.

What makes our team unique and how we support one another in our daily roles

I work across two fantastic teams. I work closely with the HSE’s NCCP team, who provide guidance and support for my work, while I implement national cancer prevention initiatives in the Mid West region. I am based in the Health and Wellbeing division of HSE Mid West. I work with the Health Promotion and Improvement team where we work together to tackle key cancer risk factors and raise awareness of early signs and symptoms, especially among high-risk groups.

What I would like to see change...

I would love to see smoking rates continue to fall as smoking is still the main cause of preventable cancer. The HSE offers free support to quit, and I would encourage anyone who smokes to take that first step.

With 1 in 2 people in Ireland expected to get a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, we need to talk more openly about cancer and how to prevent it. I would like to see more people and communities feel confident in recognising cancer symptoms and taking action. People should feel reassured that more people than ever are surviving cancer. The possibility of having cancer can be very frightening but cancer treatments are better than ever and are improving all the time. If something doesn’t feel right for you, don’t ignore it—see your GP and get it checked. It might not be cancer, but if it is, early diagnosis gives you the best chance of recovery and a longer life.

Outside of work to maintain a work-life balance...

I love kayaking, swimming, snorkelling and anything to do with the sea. I am currently training with Kilrush Currach Rowing Club for the Ocean to City – An Rás Mór event at the end of May. I live close to the sea in West Clare so I try to get a walk on the beach most days. Being physically active can reduce the risk of seven cancers, so I always make time for movement in my day, no matter how busy I am. Physical activity is for everyone and any level of activity is better for your health than none - every move counts!

For any health and social care professionals who are interested in learning more there is a free HSeLanD eLearning programme ‘Reducing Cancer Risk’ accessible via https://www.hseland.ie/

HSE Talking Health and Wellbeing Podcasts:

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