Dr Eric Martin, Head of school of health sciences, Waterford Institute of Technology.
Personal/family: Married to Venie, two children - Ralph and Emma. Living in Co Waterford.
What figure from the world of medicine/health do you most admire?
Louis Pasteur, who first established the link between micro-organisms and disease, establishing an evidence-based approach to the origins, treatment and prevention of disease.
What other career might you have chosen?
I started out as an organic chemist. Had the information technology revolution taken place when I was leaving school, I might have considered a career in that area.
If you were appointed Minister for Health, what would be your first priority?
There's no quick fix when you have to deal with an issue that has almost unlimited demands but has a finite budget. I think a health education programme that assisted people to become responsible for their own health, to evaluate risk and to avoid quackery would be helpful.
Do you have a phobia/what is your greatest fear?
Crowds. I try to avoid them as much as possible.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
Yes, and I think I'm relatively undemanding as a patient. I don't think Venie agrees though.
What three books would you bring to a desert island?
To sustain me through a long stay I'd need something that would stand up to repeated reading: so if I'm allowed, I'd take a complete encyclopaedia, Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman and, on a lighter note, the latest Terry Pratchett novel.
Have you a fail-safe method of dealing with stress?
I listen to classical music - Bach and Mozart usually do the trick.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
My favourite TV programme is Six Feet Under and when I'm driving, I listen to Lyric FM.
If you did not live in Ireland, where would you choose to spend the rest of your life?
I quite like Portugal and the Portuguese people.
Summarise yourself in two sentences.
I am socially libertarian, scientifically-minded, with an often inappropriate sense of humour. I admire honesty, integrity, kindness, self-discipline, reliability and fairness in others so I try to achieve them myself.
Do you use alternative medicine/therapies?
No, but I would consider any that are supported by evidence. While many existing medicines started out as folk remedies (aspirin from willow bark, for example) and have come through the tests required, most of them seem to be faith systems. If someone seriously ill uses them instead of conventional but tested therapies, the outcome is unlikely to be positive.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Monty Python, Futurama - that kind of humour.