Jane Cummins was a squadron officer in the WRAF during the second world war and became a medical doctor.
Two of her brothers also became doctors, and one, N. Marshall Cummins, was involved in setting up the first blood transfusion service in Cork.
With the encouragement of her husband, she returned to UCC, and graduated with an MB, B.Ch., BAO in 1919 with first-class honours and a distinction in medicine despite having had her son who also attended her conferring ceremony.
Hearn maintained her qualification through postgraduate courses held in London every year until 1968.
[1][7] An interesting side note about her is that her letter returning her fee for successfully sitting the membership examination for the RCPI was travelling through the GPO when it was damaged by the Irish Civil War.
[8] Hearn gave dedicated service to the Victoria, serving on the board from 1938 and actively involved in the running of the hospital.
[1] She lived on St Patrick's Hill in the centre of Cork and died 3 June 1969 after a brief illness, at the Victoria Hospital.