South East Technological University (SETU) welcomed leading international experts, clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates to its campus for a major conference exploring the role of exercise in cancer treatment and recovery.
The event highlighted growing global evidence that structured exercise can improve treatment outcomes, enhance quality of life, and support long-term recovery for people living with and beyond cancer. It also marked an important step in positioning exercise as a standard component of cancer care in Ireland.
Opening the conference, Professor Michael Harrison, SETU Head of Department of Sport and Exercise Science, outlined the significant progress in exercise oncology, referencing recent international research demonstrating that exercise can improve disease-free survival in cancer patients. He also highlighted SETU’s own research contributions, including studies showing improvements in fatigue, physical function, and overall wellbeing.
The conference featured keynote contributions from leading international researchers, including Dr Tina Thea Nielsen of the University of Southern Denmark (and the Football is Medicine movement), Assistant Professor Ciarán Fairman of the University of South Carolina, Professor Kathryn Schmitz of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Professor Anna Campbell of Edinburgh Napier University.
Across the day, speakers shared insights from large-scale international studies and real-world programmes. Key themes included the role of exercise in improving physical and mental health outcomes, the growing importance of cancer prehabilitation, and the need to move from research evidence to practical implementation.
Professor Campbell outlined how cancer prehabilitation is now embedded in UK clinical guidelines, while Professor Schmitz demonstrated how exercise-based interventions have transformed care for breast cancer survivors and influenced international policy. Assistant Professor Ciarán Fairman highlighted the challenges and opportunities in delivering exercise programmes at scale, particularly in community and regional settings.
A strong emphasis was placed on translating research into accessible services. Discussions focused on how to develop inclusive, scalable programmes that can meet the needs of diverse patient groups, including older adults and those living in rural areas.
SETU researchers and students played an active role throughout the conference, reflecting the University’s commitment to impactful, patient-centred research. Contributions from cancer survivors added a powerful perspective, highlighting the real-life benefits of exercise in recovery and wellbeing.
The event concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Dr Patricia Sheehan, featuring Assistant Professor Ciarán Fairman, Professor Kathryn Schmitz, Professor Anna Campbell, and cancer survivor Anne-Marie Power. The discussion explored how exercise can be embedded into cancer care pathways, with strong engagement from researchers, students, and members of the public.
Welcoming attendees to Waterford, Cllr Adam Wyse, Metropolitan Mayor of Waterford, highlighted the importance of research in improving patient outcomes and praised SETU’s leadership in sport and exercise science.
Reflecting on the event, Dr Kira Murphy of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center thanked contributors and participants, noting that the energy and collaboration generated at the conference must now translate into action.
The conference reinforced SETU’s role in advancing research that connects directly to patient care, while strengthening national and international partnerships to support the future development of exercise oncology in Ireland.
