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Dr. Martin Mc Mahon

Associate Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
      
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Dr. Martin Mc Mahon

Associate Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)

 MARTIN.MCMAHON@tcd.ie

 


Dr Martin McMahon, BNSc, MSc, H.Dip, PGCE, PhD, RNID, RCN, RNT, FHEA Associate Professor & Head of Discipline, Intellectual Disability Nursing Dr Martin McMahon is Associate Professor and Head of Discipline in Intellectual Disability Nursing at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin. He is a registered nurse in the intellectual disability, children's, and nurse tutor divisions, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). Martin has extensive clinical and academic experience, having worked across a range of nursing and specialist roles in Ireland and internationally. His practice background includes paediatric nephrology, care for children with life-limiting conditions, community intellectual disability nursing, and psychiatry of intellectual disability, where he served as an independent and supplementary prescriber. He has also held senior roles in practice education and regulation. Martin's primary research interest lies in addressing health inequalities and inequities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities. His current work focuses on cancer care inequities in this population, where he leads both national and international research projects. He is Principal Investigator on several large-scale studies, including projects funded by the Health Research Board and the Irish Cancer Society. Martin is also Associate Director of the Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability (TCAID) and a Work Group Leader on the European COST Action CUPID (CA21123), advancing cancer prevention for people with intellectual disabilities across Europe In addition, he conducts research on care models that support people with intellectual disabilities to age in place. Martin is also a Co-applicant on the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA). IDS-TILDA tracks the ageing trajectories of over 750 adults with intellectual disabilities aged 40 and over in Ireland. It provides comprehensive data on health, social inclusion, service use, and quality of life, and plays an important role in shaping evidence-informed policy and practice in Ireland. Martin contributes to multiple thematic areas within the IDS-TILDA study, including cancer, mental health, and end-of-life care. Martin supervises a number of PhD students and welcomes supervision enquiries from prospective PhD candidates. He is particularly interested in projects that address health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities, with a specific focus on cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.
  Health Disparities   Health status and inequalities   Intellectual Disability   Nursing
Project Title
 Exploring the Unmet Needs of Irish Cancer Patients from Underserved Communities - EuCan
From
March 2024
To
April 2024
Summary
Collaborating with colleagues from the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, The Trinity St James"s Cancer Institute, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), and Queen"s University in Canada the aim of this study is to generate evidence relating to the barriers to and enablers of timely access to cancer care for underserved communities such as people over the age of 65 and those with physical and intellectual disabilities. By 2040 it is projected that 28 million cancer cases will be diagnosed annually worldwide, an increase from 18 million cases in 2020. Cancer is now the leading cause of death in Ireland. Socially excluded and underserved communities face additional access challenges that result in greater inequities across the cancer care continuum. For some specific groups which include people with intellectual and physical disabilities and those over 65, research documenting the barriers and potential enablers to increase timely access is lacking; a greater understanding of these issues is necessary and this study " funded by the Irish Cancer Society - as planned here will help identify new solutions. To address this issue, we will employ a mixed methods approach using nationally representative longitudinal data to explore cancer diagnosis and associations with vulnerability factors that lead to late-stage diagnoses. We will engage with professionals providing cancer services and directly interact with members of these underserved communities to explore issues surrounding cancer diagnosis. People from underserved communities will be at the forefront of this research, and we will explore the barriers and enablers they experience, the worries they have, and other human costs that are not frequently highlighted. This study will identify actionable measures that can be implemented to enhance access to cancer diagnosis for underserved communities.
Funding Agency
Irish Cancer Society
Project Type
Exploring the Unmet Needs of Irish Cancer Patients from Underserved Communities - EuCan
Person Months
12

Details Date From Date To
COST ACTION: CA21123 - Cancer- Understanding Prevention in Intellectual Disabilities (CUPID) October 2022 Present
Doyle C., Cleary M., Eustace Cook J., Fleming S., McMahon M., Sheerin F., Moore K.,, Factors that Lead to Behaviours that Challenge and Prevention and Management of Crisis Situations among children and young adults(CYA) with disability - a scoping review, THEconf, Trinity College 5/6 March 2025, Dublin, 5/6 March 2025, 2025, Notes: [Oral presentation], Conference Paper, PRESENTED  URL
Doyle, C., McMahon, M., Cleary, M., Cook, J.E., Sheerin, F., Fleming, S., & Moore, K., Rethinking Language - From `Challenging Behaviour" to `Behaviours That Challenge", IASSIDD 5th Asia-Pacific Congress, Singapore, 15-17 Oct 2025, 2025, Notes: [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6780e7e3d817071740107647/t/68ee27a3e5dee35636b6bef0/1760438179380/Compiled+Abstracts+and+Proposals+%2814Oct2025%29.pdf https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6780e7e3d817071740107647/t/68ef219b18ba2f256109de62/1760502171864/IAPC+2025+-+Main+Congress+%2815+to+17+Oct%29+Programme+Outline.pdf], Conference Paper, PRESENTED  TARA - Full Text
McMahon M, O'Reilly J., Cancer in people with intellectual disability: lower incidence, later-stage diagnosis - who counts? who cares?, BMJ Oncology, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Shiling Chen, Martin McMahon, Jessica Eustace-Cook, Eilish Burk, "Sarcopenia in Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review Protocol to map and describe the existing research.", HRB Open Research, 2025, Journal Article, ACCEPTED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL  URL
Shiling, C., McMahon, M., Eustace-Cook, J., Burke, EA., Sarcopenia in Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review Protocol to map and describe the existing research., HRB Open, 2025, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.12688/hrbopenres.14033.1], Journal Article, APPROVED  DOI  URL
M McMahon, S Flynn, SA Johnson, C Stinton, The benefits and harms of cancer screening programmes for adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review, medRxiv, 2025, Journal Article, APPROVED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Kennedy Smihula, Mikayla Danon, Shauna Walsh, Martin McMahon, Louise Lynch, A literature review of cancer diagnostic tests and treatments in adults with intellectual disability, HRB Open, 2025, Journal Article, APPROVED
Gorman, A., O'Brien, T., May, P., Kinchin, I., McCallion, P., McCarron, M., Ryan, C., Connors, H., Craig, S., Daly, L., Harnett, A., Sheerin, F., Yap, M.L., Smith, S., O"Donovan, M-A. & McMahon, M., Addressing Age-Related Complexity in Intellectual Disability (AARC-ID): an economic analysis of different support models. Study protocol., HRB Open Research, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Doyle, C., Fleming, S., McMahon, M., Cleary, M., Eustace Cook, J., Sheerin, F.,Moore, K., What's in a Name? Exploring the Shift from `Challenging Behaviour' to `Behaviours That Challenge' or Alternative terms, Shaping the Future of Intellectual Disability Nursing in Ireland Conference: Advancing Intellectual Disability Nursing in Contemporary Practice, Kilashee Hotel, Naas, 28th May 2025, 2025, Notes: [Poster presentation], Poster, PRESENTED  TARA - Full Text
Doyle, C., Cleary, M., Eustace Cook, J., Sheerin, F., Fleming, S., McMahon, M. & Moore, K., A Scoping Review of Factors Contributing to the Development of Behaviours That Challenge and Approaches to Preventing and Managing Crisis Situations in Children and Young Adults with Disabilities, IASSIDD 5th Asia-Pacific Congress, Singapore, 15-17 Oct, 2025, Notes: [https://www.iassidd2025.org/], Poster, PRESENTED  TARA - Full Text
  

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Hussain, R., Wark, S., Mulryan, N., McCarron, M., McCallion, P., & McMahon, M., Navigating Minds: Mental Health Perspectives in People with Intellectual Disability"A Cross-Cultural Study, International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD), Chicago, USA, 2024, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Burke, É., McMahon, M., McCarron, M., McCallion, P., Hussain, R., & Wark, S.., Wellness Matters: Bridging the Gap in Physical Health for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities., International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD), Chicago, USA, 5th-8th August 2024, 2024, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Martin McMahon, Cancer deaths in people with intellectual disability, Academic Workshop - HSC Doctorates, University of Chester, 26/5/2023, 2023, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
Trinity Excellence in Teaching School Award Winner 2024 2024