Maria Pertl

Background

About Maria Pertl

I am a Lecturer in the Department of Health Psychology in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Previously I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience where I led a cohort study, funded by The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and the Health Research Board, on relationships between stress and cognitive function in spousal dementia caregivers. I completed my PhD, MSc, and undergraduate degree in Psychology in Trinity College Dublin. My doctoral research, conferred in 2013, investigated the contributing factors to cancer-related fatigue and evaluated the effectiveness of a psychological intervention for cancer survivors with persistent fatigue. My research interests include relationships between stress and health, cognitive ageing, caregiving, psycho-oncology, and models that conceptualise the development of chronic conditions. I have also carried out several research projects on cancer screening and prevention. I teach health psychology to undergraduate and postgraduate medical, pharmacy and physiotherapy students in the RCSI. Previously, I taught research methods and health psychology to students in various health-related disciplines in Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and St Patrick’s College (now Dublin City University).