Mountaineer takes cancer research and quality of life to new heights… 8,000 metres, to be precise!

Delano D’Souza is pleased to welcome Dr Shauna Burke, Associate Professor in Exercise and Health Psychology at the University of Leeds. A passionate mountaineer who first summited Mount Everest in 2005, Dr Burke returned to the world’s highest mountain earlier this year, following her diagnosis with stage four breast cancer. She is now setting her sights on the world’s 13 other 8,000-metre peaks. For Dr Burke, the mountains are more than a backdrop to an extraordinary personal challenge. “When I’m in the mountains, I do feel at peace. I feel alive,” she says. Faced with an incurable cancer diagnosis, she chose not to allow the illness to define the boundaries of her life. she , continuing to explore what exercise, resilience and a commitment to living fully might make possible.