Scholarly Impact Report 2023

CATHERINE MCAULEY SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY, UCC

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THEME 2 - ENHANCING CANCER AWARENESS AND SURVIVORSHIP PROGRAMME (ECASP)

Co-Design and Launch of the “On The Ball” Inclusive Campaign to Promote Testicular Awareness. Dr Mohamad Saab, Senior Lecturer and Director of Graduate Studies, secured Health Research Board (HRB) funding under the Knowledge Translation Awards scheme to co-design an inclusive testicular awareness campaign. In 2023, two World Café workshops were conducted with 20 community partners representing LGBTQ+ friendly organisations, testicular cancer survivors, health policy makers, media/marketing experts, and graphic designers to co-design the campaign. Findings led to the development of the “On The Ball” campaign with the tagline “Have You Checked Yours?” A paper from this project was recently published in Health Expectations. A soft launch of the “On The Ball” campaign took place during University College Cork’s (UCC) Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance (SHAG) week in October 2023. The campaigns stand had A3 posters, pull-up banners, and three Ball Boxes. Ball Boxes were designed based on World Café recommendations. Each box contained a pair of 3D printed

testes enclosed within a soft elastic fabric, representing the scrotum. Students were asked to insert their hands inside each box and guess whether testes were normal, swollen, or lumpy. They were then asked to choose one of three prizes/ merchandise: a stress ball, a pen, or a Pop Socket, all bearing the campaign logo and catchphrase. The soft launch generated engagement from 411 students, showing that the “On The Ball” campaign can drive engagement, potentially raising awareness of testicular diseases. Dr Saab recently applied for HRB funding under the Investor Led Projects scheme to scale up, implement, and evaluate “On The Ball.” Lead and Team Members: Dr Mohamad M. Saab (Principal Investigator), Ms. Varsha N. Shetty, Ms. Megan McCarthy, Dr Martin P. Davoren, Dr Angela Flynn, Dr Ann Kirby, Professor Steve Robertson, Dr Gillian W. Shorter, Mr. David Murphy, Dr Michael J. Rovito, Dr Frances Shiely, and Professor Josephine Hegarty

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37877701/