Personal profile
Biography
Dr Paul Hanly is a lecturer in Economics in the Department of Economics, Cork University Business School, University College Cork. He is a past graduate of UCC with a BA Honours (1.1) in Economics and History and MA in Economics (1.1), along with a PhD in Economics from the University of Limerick.
Paul is an award-winning and internationally recognised researcher with over 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including The Lancet Regional Issues - Americas (IF: 7.6), Social Science and Medicine (4-star ABS ranked journal), Tourism Management (4-star ABS ranked journal), European Journal of Health Economics (IF: 3.8), Pharmacoeconomics (IF: 5.1), Value in Health (IF: 6.0) and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (IF: 7.2). His research has generated over 2,000 citations with a h-index of 30, and he has successfully attracted almost €2 million in research funding from prestigious bodies including the Health Research Board, Irish Cancer Society, and MSD Oncology. His work has won numerous prizes across internationally recognised research societies, including the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Best New Investigator Award. Paul serves as a journal reviewer for The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology and Nature Communications, and maintains an extensive international research collaboration network with centres of excellence including the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, American Cancer Society, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Trinity College Dublin.
Research Interests
As an internationally recognised expert in health economics and behavioural economics, Paul’s research explores the intersection of health, human capital, productivity, and public policy—focusing on the economic burden of disease, behavioural interventions for cancer prevention and the labour market impacts of illness. Paul possesses particular expertise in illness-associated productivity loss, microcosting health technologies, labour market modelling, quality-of-life measurement, and non-market activity economic valuation. His work continues to shape both scholarship and policy, with research that informs healthcare decision-making and economic policy development at national and international levels.
Teaching Activities
Paul teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at University College Cork (UCC). He places research-led teaching at the core of his approach and is an advocate for blended learning and the flipped classroom methodology. His teaching emphasises applied learning and the development of students' analytical and critical thinking skills. In recognition of his teaching excellence, he received the Teaching Hero Award in 2021 from the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and has created an Economics Learning YouTube channel with nearly one million views.
UCC Futures (primary)
- Future of Health
Other research affiliations
- Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21)
PhD Supervision
- Available for PhD supervision
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Economic burden of cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality among working-age Europeans: A lifecycle modelling study
Hanly, P. A., Ortega–Ortega, M., Kong, Y.-C., Cancela, M. D. C. & Soerjomataram, I., 24 Feb 2026Research output: Other output › peer-review
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Regional inequalities in mortality from colorectal cancer and its indirect economic impact in Brazil from 2001 to 2030: a human capital approach study
Monteiro Dos Santos, J. E., Pearce, A., Migowski, A., Bezerra de Souza, D. L., Soerjomataram, I., Lopes de Souza, L. B., Sharp, L., Leite Martins, L. F., Hanly, P. & De Camargo Cancela, M., Mar 2026, In: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 55, p. 101383Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Global paid and unpaid productivity losses due to cancer-related mortality
Kong, Y. C., Niyigaba, J., Tran, P. B., Vignat, J., Bray, F., Gauvreau, C. L., Hanly, P., Pearce, A., De Camargo Cancela, M., Ortega-Ortega, M., Bhoo-Pathy, N., Ilbawi, A., Meheus, F. & Soerjomataram, I., 1 Dec 2025, In: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 117, 12, p. 2612-2620 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Interventions to increase uptake in a fecal-immunochemical test population-based colorectal cancer screening program: A quasi-experimental study of first-time invitees
Clarke, N., Mooney, T., Gallagher, P., von Wagner, C., Hanly, P., McNamara, D., Coffey, H., Fitzpatrick, P. & Sharp, L., 2025, In: Cancer.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Can the sustainable development goals for cancer be met in Brazil? A population-based study
De Camargo Cancela, M., Bezerra de Souza, D. L., Leite Martins, L. F., Borges, L., Schilithz, A. O., Hanly, P., Sharp, L., Pearce, A. & Soejomataram, I., 2023, In: Frontiers in Oncology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Prizes
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National College of Ireland President's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research
Hanly, P. (Recipient), 2013
Prize
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