President’s review
by Professor Deborah McNamara, President
This report comes at the close of my first year as President of RCSI. It is a privilege to be President of this institution and to work alongside the academics, researchers, clinicians and professional staff who make up the RCSI community.
I share their commitment to our mission and am inspired daily by their dedication, innovation and collegiality. This report highlights their achievements in 2024–2025, reflecting the collective strength of our community as we work together to drive improvements in health and health systems, for the benefit of patients.
Expanding surgical training and professional development
The Surgical Affairs team is committed to delivering the highest standard of education and training to support doctors in their care of patients. I want to acknowledge the team and the many trainers and tutors whose contributions are central to our trainees’ progress.
For the July 2025 intake, Core Surgical trainees will increase from 80 to 100, bringing the total number of surgical trainees to almost 600 by the end of 2025. This growth was enabled by significant HSE investment in training equipment at RCSI and across the regions. We are grateful for their continued support.
Our Continuing Professional Support Scheme enrolled almost 1,000 participants and the College’s Master’s programmes in Surgery and in Human Factors and Patient Safety continued to strengthen surgeons’ skills to meet the demands of their careers.
The well-being of trainees and trainers remains a key focus. A short-life working group is reviewing College supports to identify areas for improvement, while counselling resources are being expanded in partnership with RCSI’s student support service. The Safe and Sound podcast also featured a range of interviews exploring human factors in healthcare and patient safety.
Supporting early-career surgeons
The transition to independent practice is a significant milestone in a surgeon’s career and the practical, and often non-clinical, changes that come with independent consultant practice require navigation. Supporting our early-career surgeons in managing these challenges is a priority for me. Launched at the 2024 Millin Meeting and led by Ms Christina Fleming and Mr Tristan Cassidy, the RCSI Early Careers Network is working to identify the needs of new surgical consultants and provide the educational, organisational and mentorship supports to help them establish their practices.
Building skills for robotic surgery
Reflecting the rapid adoption of robotic platforms in Irish hospitals, the New Technologies for Future Surgery group, chaired by Professor Ronan Cahill, reached consensus across surgical communities on the importance of emerging innovations such as robotic-assisted surgery, artificial intelligence and digital systems. RCSI is committed to raising awareness of these technologies and ensuring surgeons have the training to use them safely.
The 2025 Charter Week, themed Next Generation Surgery, showcased these advances. Delegates explored the future of robotic surgery, engaged with RCSI’s first Robotic Learning Village and heard from international experts on the evolving surgical landscape.
Charter Week also saw the launch of the RCSI Robotic Surgery Clinical Governance Guidelines, developed by Professor Barry McGuire and the Robotic Surgery Advisory Group, supporting hospitals in introducing robotic-assisted surgery. Building on this, work is progressing on a national training curriculum for robotic surgery.
In September, RCSI hosted its first RoboStart and Robotic Assistants workshops, offering trainees and surgical assistants hands-on opportunities to develop skills in these technologies.
Progressing gender balance in surgery
Advancing greater gender balance in the profession of surgery remains a priority for RCSI. The 2025 PROGRESS Women in Surgery Fellowship, funded by Johnson & Johnson, was awarded to Ms Lauren V. O’Connell, who is undertaking a Fellowship in advanced colorectal cancer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Influencing and collaborating
I was pleased to see the appointment of Ms Bridget Egan and Professor Eamon Rogers as National Co-Leads for the National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS), succeeding Mr Kenneth Mealy, former President of RCSI, who served for many years as the National Co-Lead for the NCPS.
The NCPS and the National Clinical Programme for Paediatrics and Neonatology launched Paediatric General Surgery: A Model of Care for Ireland 2024, a comprehensive framework to enhance surgical services for children close to where they live, ensuring access to a high standard of surgical care with clear oversight and governance.
Advancing surgical research
The National Surgery Research Support Centre (NSRSC) continues to drive surgeons’ involvement in clinical trials. It is currently supporting eight trials in areas such as appendicitis, diabetes, bariatric surgery and wound healing, alongside multinational collaborations.
More than 50 peer-reviewed papers were presented at the 2024 Millin Meeting, which also featured a series of international keynote addresses on surgical research. Dr Ayesha Noorani, CRUK Clinician Scientist and Honorary Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Cambridge University Hospital NHS Trust, highlighted the importance of achieving excellence in surgical and academic research and training. Dr Ori D. Rotstein, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Unity Health Toronto and Professor and Associate Chair of Surgery at the University of Toronto, discussed the vital role of patient and community engagement in surgical research.
In September 2024, the NSRSC hosted the BOASTIC course (Bristol, Oxford and Aberdeen Surgical Trials Unit Clinical Trials) for the first time outside the UK, welcoming trainees from Ireland and the UK for three days of training in running surgical trials.
Expanding global reach
Through communications, events and volunteering opportunities, we continue to foster strong ties with our 11,000 Fellows and Members worldwide, ensuring their voices and contributions remain integral to the College community.
Strengthening this connection remains a priority, with initiatives designed to provide both professional support and opportunities for community building. Over the past year, RCSI rolled out a dedicated online portal for Fellows and Members, offering access to publications, courses and tailored resources that enhance lifelong learning and professional development.
In-person engagement has also been a priority. Sixteen events were held globally, creating valuable opportunities for Fellows and Members to network, collaborate and reconnect with colleagues. Highlights included the inaugural Family Fun Day during Charter Week 2025, which welcomed over 70 Fellows and Members and their families, and international receptions from London to Kuala Lumpur.
Increasing numbers of candidates are choosing to undertake membership examinations with RCSI, reinforcing our global reputation and strengthening our network of Members and Fellows worldwide. Our overseas MRCS examinations continue to expand through established hubs in Cairo, Bahrain and Malaysia, and, in May, the first examinations were held at our new centre in Sabah. We remain deeply grateful to our international partners, whose collaboration and support are essential to the successful delivery of these examinations.
Thank you
I wish to offer my sincere appreciation to everyone who has supported me during the first year of my Presidency. Thank you to Vice-President Professor Michael Kerin and our fellow elected Council members for their continued commitment and collegiality.
I am grateful to RCSI’s Vice Chancellor and CEO/Registrar Professor Cathal Kelly; Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Professor Tracy Robson; Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Professor Fergal O’Brien; Managing Director of Surgical Affairs Kieran Ryan, and each member of the Senior Management Team for their continued leadership and dedication.