Dr Patrick Corley
Occupation:Cancer research manager with Cancer Research Ireland, the research division of the Irish Cancer Society.
Personal/family:Single.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire?
Louis Pasteur, father of pasteurisation, who, along with others, founded the science of bacteriology.
What other career might you have chosen?
I might have been an engineer.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be?
That all patients in Ireland with cancer would have access to clinical trials where suitable; that cancer researchers would have access to state-of-the-art research facilities; and that those researchers would receive significant funding for their work.
What is your greatest fear?
That another member of the Bush family will ever become president of the US.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
As a child I was ill for extended lengths of time because of chronic tonsillitis. I was nursed at home by my mother and was a good patient, because I was too ill with fever to do anything apart from try to get better. I developed a great love of reading.
When or where are you happiest?
I'm happiest reading a good book or relaxing with friends.
How do you cope with stress?
I go swimming or take to the gym.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself?
I think I'm understanding.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself?
Sometimes I can be terribly impatient.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies?
I eat soup with lots of fresh garlic when I have a heavy cold.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Dermot Morgan as Father Ted.
What is your motto?
"Just do it . . . " borrowed from Nike.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
Planet Earth on TV and The Right Hook on radio.
What books would you bring to a desert island?
All the books I have not yet read (I have a pending shelf at home). But realistically, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, it's very calming.
In conversation with Claire O'Connell