Graduate with chronic illness says adapting study habits helped her top class
By Rebecca Black, Press Association
A graduate said her determination to succeed sustained her while she navigated her Master’s degree with a severe chronic illness.
Caitlin Mannis is one of many taking part in graduation ceremonies at Queen’s University this week.
The Ballygowan woman has had to overcome the challenge of life with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic condition that weakens the connective tissue and affects skin, joints and blood vessel walls, to earn her Master’s degree in global security and borders.
Ms Mannis said most people would never realise the challenges she faces just by looking at her.
My condition does not define the limits of my ambition or my work
“No one else sees the joint instability, the pain, or the unpredictability unless I bring it up, and that invisibility creates its own challenges,” she said.
Despite living with the condition, as well as having ADHD and suffering from chronic migraines, Ms Mannis graduated with the highest grade in her cohort.
She described being supported to find creative adaptations, such as working in bed with a rolling desk or using voice recordings when typing became too painful.
“I adapted my study routines by being honest about what my body could manage and adjusting the method rather than the goal,” she said.
“I wear splints to support my joints. I’ve had the ones I wear on my fingers gold-plated to look more like jewellery, something that makes me feel more confident, but comfortable because they hold my joints in place.
“They make typing, which at the moment does take up much of my day-to-day life, that little bit easier.”
Ms Mannis added: “I was motivated by the determination that comes from being underestimated and, over time, learning that I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself. My condition does not define the limits of my ambition or my work.
“My message to anyone living with a long-term health condition is to live in spite, meaning decide you’re not going to shrink yourself to match the limitations someone else imagined for you.”
Ms Mannis is carrying on her research by starting a PhD at Queen’s, exploring how gamified AI and personalised content can influence the radicalisation of women and girls.
Another graduate, Dr Ryan Magee, from Derry, has developed a simple, rapid and low-cost way to identify different strains of bovine tuberculosis.
The disease, which has caused issues for farmers, wildlife and governments across the island of Ireland, piqued Dr Magee’s interest during his undergraduate degree.
During his PhD, Dr Magee helped analyse more than 1,000 whole-genome sequences of the bacterium, creating the most detailed genetic family tree of the pathogen in Ireland to date.
From this, the team identified the smallest number of genetic markers needed to reliably distinguish one variant from another.
“The result is a simple DNA test that can identify a bovine TB strain within hours using equipment already available at Queen’s.
He is now set to join the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency as a microbial genomics scientist.
“Bovine TB isn’t one big outbreak, it’s lots of small local micro-epidemics,” he said.
“Continuing to apply new science and methods and focusing on the regionalisation of control can make the system more effective and less disruptive for farmers and wildlife.
“My PhD has added evidence for that, and a new tool to help deliver it.”
