Mohamad Saab
Research Profile
Mohamad Saab
Contact Details
Nursing & Midwifery
University College Cork
Cork
Ireland
T: +353-21-490-3000
E: msaab@ucc.ie
Senior Lecturer
Biography
Professor Mohamad M. Saab is Professor in Nursing and
Director of the MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Oncology Nursing, as well as Year 1
Coordinator for the MSc Advanced Practice (Nursing/Midwifery) at the School of
Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. He also serves
on the Board of Marymount University Hospital and Hospice. From 2022 to 2025, he was Vice Dean and Chair of Graduate Studies in the School.
A Registered Nurse in Ireland and Lebanon, Professor Saab holds a PhD in Nursing from UCC and an MSc and BSc in Nursing (both with distinction) from the American University of Beirut. He has six years of clinical experience in oncology and palliative care advanced practice nursing.
His interdisciplinary research focuses on digital health innovation in cancer and palliative care, particularly the use of eXtended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance communication training, support cancer survivors, and promote men's health. Professor Saab has authored over 200 scholarly outputs, including more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, and has delivered more than 60 conference presentations and invited talks.
He has secured over €16 million in research funding across 33 projects, including ~€7 million as Principal Investigator. In 2024, he became the first Irish academic to coordinate a Horizon Europe Cancer Mission project (TRANSCEND-XR) which uses XR technology to improve the quality of life of young testicular cancer survivors across seven European countries. His leadership extends to multiple funded projects, including the HRB-funded E-MAT Trial, the "On the Ball" awareness campaign, the COST Action Europe for Cancer Survivorship Care, and the Irish Cancer Society-funded LIAM McTrial.
He has received major institutional awards, including the Vice President for Research and Innovation Award for Interdisciplinary Research (2025) and the UCC Research Team of the Year Award (2024).
An award-winning educator, Professor Saab has pioneered the use of VR in nursing education and received the Sigma International Honor Society of Nurses Award (2019) and the UCC College of Medicine and Health Teaching Award (2021). He teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with expertise in oncology, palliative care, simulation-based education, advanced practice, and research methods. Committed to mentorship, he currently supervises six doctoral students and has previously supervised over 30 doctoral and postgraduate students to completion.
Beyond academia, he contributes to community health promotion, leading cancer awareness initiatives, refugee health campaigns, and HIV testing outreach. He is fluent in English, Arabic, and French, with beginner proficiency in Italian.
A Registered Nurse in Ireland and Lebanon, Professor Saab holds a PhD in Nursing from UCC and an MSc and BSc in Nursing (both with distinction) from the American University of Beirut. He has six years of clinical experience in oncology and palliative care advanced practice nursing.
His interdisciplinary research focuses on digital health innovation in cancer and palliative care, particularly the use of eXtended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance communication training, support cancer survivors, and promote men's health. Professor Saab has authored over 200 scholarly outputs, including more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, and has delivered more than 60 conference presentations and invited talks.
He has secured over €16 million in research funding across 33 projects, including ~€7 million as Principal Investigator. In 2024, he became the first Irish academic to coordinate a Horizon Europe Cancer Mission project (TRANSCEND-XR) which uses XR technology to improve the quality of life of young testicular cancer survivors across seven European countries. His leadership extends to multiple funded projects, including the HRB-funded E-MAT Trial, the "On the Ball" awareness campaign, the COST Action Europe for Cancer Survivorship Care, and the Irish Cancer Society-funded LIAM McTrial.
He has received major institutional awards, including the Vice President for Research and Innovation Award for Interdisciplinary Research (2025) and the UCC Research Team of the Year Award (2024).
An award-winning educator, Professor Saab has pioneered the use of VR in nursing education and received the Sigma International Honor Society of Nurses Award (2019) and the UCC College of Medicine and Health Teaching Award (2021). He teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with expertise in oncology, palliative care, simulation-based education, advanced practice, and research methods. Committed to mentorship, he currently supervises six doctoral students and has previously supervised over 30 doctoral and postgraduate students to completion.
Beyond academia, he contributes to community health promotion, leading cancer awareness initiatives, refugee health campaigns, and HIV testing outreach. He is fluent in English, Arabic, and French, with beginner proficiency in Italian.
Research Interests
Professor Saab's research is interdisciplinary, focusing on digital health innovation in cancer and palliative care. He integrates eXtended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance communication training for healthcare professionals, support adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, and promote men's health awareness.
He has produced over 200 scholarly outputs, including more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, and delivered more than 60 invited talks and conference presentations. With a strong track record in securing competitive research funding, Professor Saab has contributed to 33 national and international projects totalling €16.2 million, including €6.6 million as Principal Investigator. In 2024, he became the first Irish academic to coordinate a Horizon Europe Cancer Mission project, leading TRANSCEND-XR (€6 million), a groundbreaking study using XR technology to improve the quality of life of young testicular cancer survivors across seven European countries.
His work has earned multiple awards, including the UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation Award for Interdisciplinary Research (2025). Professor Saab's research advances innovation in cancer survivorship, palliative care communication, and digital health education, shaping the future of technology-enhanced healthcare.
He has produced over 200 scholarly outputs, including more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, and delivered more than 60 invited talks and conference presentations. With a strong track record in securing competitive research funding, Professor Saab has contributed to 33 national and international projects totalling €16.2 million, including €6.6 million as Principal Investigator. In 2024, he became the first Irish academic to coordinate a Horizon Europe Cancer Mission project, leading TRANSCEND-XR (€6 million), a groundbreaking study using XR technology to improve the quality of life of young testicular cancer survivors across seven European countries.
His work has earned multiple awards, including the UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation Award for Interdisciplinary Research (2025). Professor Saab's research advances innovation in cancer survivorship, palliative care communication, and digital health education, shaping the future of technology-enhanced healthcare.
Research Grants
| Project | Funding Body |
Start Date | End Date | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation for Nursing | Foundation Funded Research | 01-NOV-19 | 21-SEP-21 | €4,490.00 | |
| Early Detection of Cancer | Department of Health | 25-NOV-19 | 30-NOV-21 | €24,000.00 | |
| Barriers, facilitators, and strategies to recognise and refer high-risk individuals with lung cancer 'alarm' symptoms: A qualitative study with primary healthcare professionals. | Irish Funded Research Non Exchequer | 17-DEC-20 | 01-AUG-23 | €20,325.00 | |
| Enhanced Communication Tools (ECT): An Educational Intervention for HPV Health Promotion in General Practice | Other: Not Listed | 01-JAN-19 | €24,765.00 | ||
| National Cancer Survivorship Needs Assessment: Research to Scope Out and Map Cancer Survivorship Services in The Irish Context | Health Service Executive | 01-JAN-18 | €30,000.00 | ||
| Enhancing Men's Awareness of Testicular Disorders Using a Virtual Reality Intervention: The E-MAT Study | Other: Not Listed | 03-SEP-14 | 11-DEC-17 | €71,080.00 | |
| A Systematic Review of the Clinical & Economic Literature on National Early Warning Score (NEWS) | Other: Not Listed | 01-OCT-14 | 31-DEC-15 | €22,735.00 | |
| Independent Programme Evaluation of the Leaders for Compassionate Care Programme | Health Service Executive | 01-DEC-16 | 29-MAY-17 | €30,000.00 | |
| The Men's Cancer prevention and Health literacy: The MeCHanic Study | Irish Cancer Society | 01-DEC-16 | 31-MAY-17 | €28,000.00 |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2021) | 'Promoting lung cancer awareness, help-seeking and early detection: a systematic review of interventions'
Saab MM;FitzGerald S;Noonan B;Kilty C;Collins A;Lyng Á;Kennedy U;O'Brien M;Hegarty J; (2021) 'Promoting lung cancer awareness, help-seeking and early detection: a systematic review of interventions'. Health promotion international, [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2021) | 'The use of film-based interventions in adolescent mental health education: A systematic review'
Goodwin J;Saab MM;Dillon CB;Kilty C;McCarthy A;O'Brien M;Philpott LF; (2021) 'The use of film-based interventions in adolescent mental health education: A systematic review'. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 137 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2021) | 'Awareness and help-seeking for early signs and symptoms of lung cancer: A qualitative study with high-risk individuals'
Saab MM;Noonan B;Kilty C;FitzGerald S;Collins A;Lyng Á;Kennedy U;O'Brien M;Hegarty J; (2021) 'Awareness and help-seeking for early signs and symptoms of lung cancer: A qualitative study with high-risk individuals'. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 50 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2020) | 'An international perspective on definitions and terminology used to describe serious reportable patient safety incidents: A systematic review'
Hegarty, Josephine; Flaherty, Sarah Jane; Saab, Mohamad M.; Goodwin, John; Walshe, Nuala; Wills, Teresa; McCarthy, Vera J. C.; Murphy, Siobhan; Cutliffe, Alana; Meehan, Elaine; Landers, Ciara; Lehane, Elaine; Lane, Aoife; Landers, Margaret; Kilty, Caroline; Madden, Deirdre; Tumelty, Mary; Naughton, Corina (2020) 'An international perspective on definitions and terminology used to describe serious reportable patient safety incidents: A systematic review'. Journal of Patient Safety, 17 (8):1-8 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2020) | 'Staff awareness of suicide and self-harm risk in healthcare settings: A mixed-methods systematic review'
Dillon, C., Saab, M., Meehan, E., Goodwin, J., Murphy, MM., Heffernan, S., Greaney, S., Kilty, C., Hartigan, I., Chambers, D., Twomey, U., Horgan, A. (2020) 'Staff awareness of suicide and self-harm risk in healthcare settings: A mixed-methods systematic review'. Journal of Affective Disorders, 276 :898-906 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2020) | 'Public Health Messaging and Strategies to Promote "SWIFT" Lung Cancer Detection: a Qualitative Study Among High-Risk Individuals'
Saab, MM;Kilty, C;Noonan, B;FitzGerald, S;Collins, A;Lyng, A;Kennedy, U;Hegarty, J (2020) 'Public Health Messaging and Strategies to Promote "SWIFT" Lung Cancer Detection: a Qualitative Study Among High-Risk Individuals'. Journal Of Cancer Education, [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2019) | 'Testicular awareness: The what, the why, and the how'
Saab M.M.;Hegarty J.;Landers M. (2019) 'Testicular awareness: The what, the why, and the how'. International Journal Of Men'S Social And Community Health, 2 (1):e1-e10 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2019) | 'The impact of compassionate care education on nurses: a mixed-method systematic review'
Coffey, Alice; Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Cornally, Nicola; Hegarty, Josephine; Drennan, Jonathan; Lunn, Cora; Savage, Eileen (2019) 'The impact of compassionate care education on nurses: a mixed-method systematic review'. Journal of Advanced Nursing, [ Publisher's Version] [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2019) | 'Health Literacy Influences Men's Active and Passive Cancer Information Seeking'
Drummond FJ;Reidy M;von Wagner C;Livingstone V;Drennan J;Murphy M;Fowler C;Saab MM;O'Mahony M;Hegarty J; (2019) 'Health Literacy Influences Men's Active and Passive Cancer Information Seeking'. Health Literacy Research And Practice, 3 (3) [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2019) | 'Impact of a compassionate care leadership programme'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Drennan, Jonathan; Cornally, Nicola; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine; Savage, Eileen; Lunn, Cora; Coffey, Alice (2019) 'Impact of a compassionate care leadership programme'. British Journal of Nursing, 28 (11):708-714 [ Publisher's Version] [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'Feasibility and usability of a virtual reality intervention to enhance men's awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT)'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Cooke, Eoghan; Murphy, David; Hegarty, Josephine (2018) 'Feasibility and usability of a virtual reality intervention to enhance men's awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT)'. Virtual Reality, [ Publisher's Version] [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2016) | 'PALLIATIVE CARE FOR OLDER ADULTS: STATE OF THE ART IN LEBANON'
Abu-Saad Huijer H;Saab M;Hajjar R; (2016) 'PALLIATIVE CARE FOR OLDER ADULTS: STATE OF THE ART IN LEBANON'. Le Journal Medical Libanais. The Lebanese Medical Journal, 64 (1) [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'The Preconscious Awareness to Action Framework: An Application to Promote Testicular Awareness'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2018) 'The Preconscious Awareness to Action Framework: An Application to Promote Testicular Awareness'. Nursing Research, 67 (2):169-176 [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'Promoting men's awareness, self-examination, and help-seeking for testicular disorders: a systematic review of interventions'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Davoren, Martin; Murphy, Aileen; Murphy, David; Cooke, Eoghan; Landers, Margaret; Fitzgerald, Serena; Richardson, Noel; Rovito, Michael; Von Wagner, Christian (2018) 'Promoting men's awareness, self-examination, and help-seeking for testicular disorders: a systematic review of interventions'. Hrb Open Research, 1 (16):1-19 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'Enhancing Men's Awareness of Testicular Disorders Using a Virtual Reality Intervention: A Pre-Post Pilot Study'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Cooke, Eoghan; Murphy, David; Davoren, Martin; Hegarty, Josephine (2018) 'Enhancing Men's Awareness of Testicular Disorders Using a Virtual Reality Intervention: A Pre-Post Pilot Study'. Nursing Research, 67 (5):349-358 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'Males' Awareness of Benign Testicular Disorders: An Integrative Review'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2018) 'Males' Awareness of Benign Testicular Disorders: An Integrative Review'. American Journal of Mens Health, 12 (3):556-566 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'Promoting men's knowledge of cancer risk reduction: A systematic review of interventions'
Reidy, Mary; Saab, Mohamad M.; Hegarty, Josephine; Von Wagner, Christian; O'Mahony, Mairin; Murphy, Mike; Drummond, Frances J. (2018) 'Promoting men's knowledge of cancer risk reduction: A systematic review of interventions'. Patient Education and Counseling, [ Publisher's Version] [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'The Preconscious Awareness to Action Framework: an application to promote testicular awareness'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2018) 'The Preconscious Awareness to Action Framework: an application to promote testicular awareness'. Nursing Research, 67 (2):169-176 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2018) | 'Abstracts of the MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting 2018 Supportive Care in Cancer MASCC/ISOO ANNUAL MEETING ON SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER Vienna, Austria 28-30 June 2018 Abstracts'
(2018) 'Abstracts of the MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting 2018 Supportive Care in Cancer MASCC/ISOO ANNUAL MEETING ON SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER Vienna, Austria 28-30 June 2018 Abstracts'. Supportive Care In Cancer, 26 :41-339 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2017) | 'The effect of adult Early Warning Systems education on nurses' knowledge, confidence and clinical performance: A systematic review'
Saab, Mohamad M.; McCarthy, Bridie; Andrews, Tom; Savage, Eileen; Drummond, Frances J.; Walshe, Nuala; Forde, Mary; Breen, Dorothy; Henn, Patrick; Drennan, Jonathan; Hegarty, Josephine (2017) 'The effect of adult Early Warning Systems education on nurses' knowledge, confidence and clinical performance: A systematic review'. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73 (11):2506-2521 [ Publisher's Version] [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2017) | 'Men's information-seeking behavior regarding cancer risk and screening: A meta-narrative systematic review'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Reidy, Mary; Hegarty, Josephine; O'Mahony, Mairin; Murphy, Mike; Von Wagner, Christian; Drummond, Frances J. (2017) 'Men's information-seeking behavior regarding cancer risk and screening: A meta-narrative systematic review'. Psycho-Oncology, [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2017) | 'Exploring awareness and help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms among heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men in Ireland: A qualitative descriptive study'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2017) 'Exploring awareness and help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms among heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men in Ireland: A qualitative descriptive study'. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 67 :41-50 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2017) | 'Exploring men's preferred strategies for learning about testicular disorders inclusive of testicular cancer: A qualitative descriptive study'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2017) 'Exploring men's preferred strategies for learning about testicular disorders inclusive of testicular cancer: A qualitative descriptive study'. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 26 :27-35 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2016) | 'Abstracts of the 2016 World Congress of Psycho-oncology, 17 - 21 October 2016, Dublin, Ireland'
(2016) 'Abstracts of the 2016 World Congress of Psycho-oncology, 17 - 21 October 2016, Dublin, Ireland'. Psycho-Oncology, 25 Suppl 3 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2016) | 'Promoting Testicular Cancer Awareness and Screening A Systematic Review of Interventions'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2016) 'Promoting Testicular Cancer Awareness and Screening A Systematic Review of Interventions'. Cancer nursing, 39 (6):473-487 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] |
|
| (2015) | 'Testicular cancer awareness and screening practices: a systematic review'
Saab, Mohamad M.; Landers, Margaret; Hegarty, Josephine (2015) 'Testicular cancer awareness and screening practices: a systematic review'. Oncology Nursing Forum, 1 (43):8-23 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2015) | 'Deciding to Seek Emergency Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction'
Noureddine, S;Dumit, NY;Saab, M (2015) 'Deciding to Seek Emergency Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction'. Journal of Clinical Nursing Research, 24 :487-503 [DOI] [Details] |
|
| (2014) | 'Surviving Testicular Cancer The Lebanese Lived Experience'
Saab, M;Noureddine, S;Huijer, HA;DeJong, J (2014) 'Surviving Testicular Cancer The Lebanese Lived Experience'. Nursing Research, 63 :203-210 [DOI] [Details] |
Committees
| Committee | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Council | Member | 2020 / | |
| Athena Swan Committee | Member | 2018 / | |
| UCC Health Matters - Sexual Health Working Group | Member | 2017 / | |
| Enhancing Cancer Awareness and Survivorship Programmes (E.CASP) research group | Member | 2016 / |
Languages
| Language | Reading | Writing | Speaking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent | |
| French | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent | |
| English | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent |
Journal Activities
| Journal | Role | To / From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Nursing | Referee | - | |
| Journal Of Clinical Nursing | Referee | - | |
| Journal Of Advanced Nursing | Referee | - | |
| Nursing Research | Referee | - | |
| Psycho-Oncology | Referee | - |
Teaching Interests
Professor Saab is an award-winning educator with extensive
experience teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His teaching
expertise includes palliative care, oncology nursing, simulation-based
education, advanced research methods, interdisciplinary communication, and
health assessment.
He holds a Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from UCC and has received two major teaching awards: the Sigma International Honor Society of Nurses Award (2019) and the UCC College of Medicine and Health Teaching Award (2021), both recognising his pioneering use of Virtual Reality (VR) in nursing education.
Professor Saab has led innovative international education projects, including the Erasmus+ VR-TALKS project (€400,000), which used VR and AI to teach communication skills to over 320 nursing and medical students and educators across five European countries. He has also coordinated and taught on UCC's MSc in Oncology Nursing and MSc Advanced Practice (Nursing/Midwifery) programmes, mentoring over 30 postgraduate students to completion. His teaching philosophy centres on experiential learning, digital innovation, and preparing nurses and midwives for advanced, patient-centred practice in modern healthcare.
He holds a Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from UCC and has received two major teaching awards: the Sigma International Honor Society of Nurses Award (2019) and the UCC College of Medicine and Health Teaching Award (2021), both recognising his pioneering use of Virtual Reality (VR) in nursing education.
Professor Saab has led innovative international education projects, including the Erasmus+ VR-TALKS project (€400,000), which used VR and AI to teach communication skills to over 320 nursing and medical students and educators across five European countries. He has also coordinated and taught on UCC's MSc in Oncology Nursing and MSc Advanced Practice (Nursing/Midwifery) programmes, mentoring over 30 postgraduate students to completion. His teaching philosophy centres on experiential learning, digital innovation, and preparing nurses and midwives for advanced, patient-centred practice in modern healthcare.