A message from the President of RCSI

9 October 2025

Dear Fellows and Members,

This month I write to you after returning from Chicago where I attended the Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This was an opportunity to meet with many of our North American Fellows and Members as well as celebrating an Honorary Fellowship for Professor Cathal Kelly FRCSI.

Since my last letter in September, it has been a busy month, including a visit to Galway for the 50th Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium. Closer to home, we launched the updated RCSI Code of Best Practice for Surgeons and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the RCSI Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient course. We also welcomed the Minister for Health to RCSI when she opened the annual meeting of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncology Surgeons, organised by Professor J. Paul O’Neill FRCSI.

Looking ahead, I am pleased to share that Professor Jarlath Bolger FRCSI has been selected to deliver the 48th Millin Lecture entitled Personalised Oesophageal Cancer Care: From Micro, to Macro, to Reality – I encourage you to register early to attend his lecture. Furthermore, the final edits for the 2025 edition of Surgeons Scope magazine are underway and will be provided hot off the press to those attending the Millin Meeting before it arrives in post-boxes and mailboxes worldwide – ensure that you keep an eye out for it at the meeting. I am also pleased to share details of the dates of the Charter Day Meetings 2026.

Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium

My congratulations to Professor Michael Kerin FRCSI, RCSI Vice President, Professor Oliver McAnena FRCSI, and all the team in the University of Galway, who hosted and organised the 50th Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium in early September. There was fantastic attendance at the various parallel workshops, plenary sessions and keynote lectures held over the course of the two days.

I was delighted to co-chair the plenary on Saturday which included several presentations and much discussion about the future of Regional Surgery in the 21st Century. Ensuring that RCSI training programmes provide high-quality training to meet the needs of our population remains a key priority. The session provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about the workforce challenges faced by 'model 3' hospitals and to hear from surgical leaders about potential solutions. The conversation will continue at the Charter Day meetings on 13 February, with a planned parallel session on the opportunities for specialist practice in model 3 hospitals.

For those who were unable to attend, a full report on this session and more is available.

Code of practice

In mid-September, the College launched the third edition of the Code of Practice for Surgeons, which has been updated to incorporate several legislative and regulatory changes. The process of revising the code was led by Mr Dara Kavanagh FRCSI, Head of Surgical Policy and Practice Development RCSI, and involved significant consultation with the wider surgical community of Fellows and Members.

While the legislation and regulatory references precipitated the update, the revised code also reflects wider changes in society, technology and indeed surgical practice. Revisions and additions to the code relate to a range of important areas, from robotic-assisted surgery to telemedicine to storage of patient-related video or photography.

The code provides a straightforward set of principles that surgeons and surgical trainees may use to inform their own practice. I believe it will be of use to all Fellows and Members regardless of your country of practice and encourage you to take the time to review it and you can download the full code here. Also, watch out for the interview with Mr Dara Kavanagh FRCSI, which will feature in the forthcoming edition of Surgeons Scope magazine.

I would like to thank all those involved in this timely and important project, in particular Dara and his colleagues in the Department of Surgical Affairs as well as the members of the Professional Development and Practice Committee, led by Mr Paddy Kenny FRCSI, RCSI Council Member and the Committee for Surgical Affairs, led by Prof. John Quinlan, FRCSI RCSI Council Member.

Clinical guidance

In recent months, Ms Bridget Egan FRCSI, RCSI Council Member and Co-Lead for the National Clinical Programme for Surgery, has chaired the committee responsible for development of the National Clinical Guidance framework for Elective Care Facilities. This guidance will maximise the impact of elective care facilities by increasing efficiency, reducing waste and delivering healthcare in a more sustainable way with patients being treated in the lowest complexity environment that will safely meet their needs.

Representatives from each health region, from other key national clinical programmes like the NCP for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and from the National Perioperative Patient Pathway Enhancement Programme (NPPPEP) have discussed topics including training, governance, patient selection and escalation, sustainability and key success metrics during the consultation phase. I would like to thank all RCSI Fellows who have participated.

The framework, which was commissioned by Dr Colm Henry, HSE Chief Clinical Officer, is currently in an advanced stage of development and will be central to the HSE’s roll out of the new surgical hubs. I encourage you to stay informed about the plans of the elective care programme in your local region as ambulatory surgery pathways continue to evolve with the aim of achieving further increases in the number of surgical day case procedures.

Honorary Fellowship

In recent days, Professor Cathal Kelly FRCSI, was among a select few bestowed with an Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) at the 2025 Clinical Congress in Chicago.

Professor Kelly is well-known in our community for his leadership as Vice Chancellor and CEO of RCSI, a role which he has held since his appointment in 2009. Prior to this Professor Kelly was a consultant general and vascular surgeon with a special interest in endovascular surgery in Beaumont Hospital. While he was Chairman of the Surgical Division in Beaumont Hospital, he also held a series of academic positions in RCSI, initially as Vice-Dean for Curriculum Change and subsequently as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

A committed educator and inspiring innovator, in his citation for the award Professor Kelly was acknowledged for his vision, leadership and outstanding contributions to surgery and medical education. Under his leadership RCSI has undergone a remarkable transformation, including achieving full university status in 2019, the establishment of new schools and programmes, the expansion of innovative medical education, and significant growth in research and surgical training. Major campus developments, including 26 York Street and 118 St Stephen’s Green, are a testament to this remarkable evolution.

I was delighted to be present at this very special occasion as Professor Kelly received his Honorary Fellowship, and, on behalf of RCSI Council and our entire community, I wish to extend my congratulations to him on this well-deserved honour.

Opportunities to connect

The previous message outlined several upcoming events for Fellows and Members, but I wish to draw your attention specifically to two events taking place in November.

Registration is now open to Fellows, Members and their guests for the panel discussion that will take place in RCSI as Ireland take on the All Blacks in Soldier Field, Chicago on Saturday, 1 November. Sports journalist Marie Crowe will MC a lively conversation with rugby greats Seán O’Brien and Bernard Jackman ahead of an 8:10pm kick off when the match will be live streamed on the big screen in College Hall. Further information is available here, but it promises to be an enjoyable opportunity to connect socially regardless of the outcome of the match.

The big-ticket item next month is, of course, the annual Millin Meeting, which takes place in RCSI on Friday, 14 November and promises to be of interest and relevance to researchers, trainees, consultants and trainers regardless of careers stage.

A reminder that the morning session features two excellent speakers whose lectures should not be missed. Professor Declan Devane, Professor of Health Research Methodology and Deputy Dean of the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, will deliver his talk on the topic of 'Better Trials, Better Evidence: Innovations in Trials Methodology'. Separately, Professor Shirley Potter FRCSI, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, St James's Hospital and Blackrock Clinic; Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, University College Dublin; National Training Programme Director, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, RCSI, will speak on 'The Future of the Clinician Scientist'.

Furthermore, as part of the morning session the National Surgical Research Support Centre (NSRSC) will provide an update on the studies they are supporting and highlight challenges and potential solutions for conducting surgical trials in Ireland. The morning will conclude with five presentations as part of the RCSI National Surgical Research Competition. So far 144 abstracts have been submitted for consideration, and a panel is currently reviewing these to select the submissions for oral presentation in the research competition as well as those who will be invited to present as part of the poster exhibition.

The afternoon will focus on sharing best practice in the development of surgical academic careers as well as exploring how our community can support excellence in surgical education and training. I look forward to hearing from a range of presenters who will share their insights and experiences – the line-up promises plenty of food for thought.

Additionally, in the afternoon I look forward to two further keynote lectures. Professor Jennifer Cleland, Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine, Singapore and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, will deliver a talk on 'Evidence-Based Surgical Training', while international thought-leader Professor Mary Dixon Woods, Director of The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute, University of Cambridge, will speak about 'An Evidence-based Approach to Improving and Innovating in Surgery'. Professor Dixon Woods is a gifted orator and, at a time when surgery is under intense public scrutiny, her talk is sure to be standing room only.

As always, the Millin Meeting concludes with the prestigious Millin Lecture. I am delighted to share that Professor Jarlath Bolger FRCSI, has been selected by the review panel to deliver the 48th Millin Lecture, which is entitled 'Personalised Oesophageal Cancer Care: From Micro, to Macro, to Reality'.

We have had a fantastic response to registration for the meeting, so, if you have not done so to date, I encourage you to do so now. When registering don’t forget to join the Fellows and Members Office as they host a Networking Breakfast in RCSI that morning and I also remind you that Fellows and Members, who are In Good Standing can avail of a discount on the cost of their Millin Meeting ticket. I very much look forward to seeing you there.

Surgical community

I am pleased to confirm the dates of the Charter Day Meetings 2026, which will take place from Tuesday, 10 February to Saturday, 14 February. We are planning an exciting programme, building on many of the innovations from the 2025 meeting such as the 'Lightning Talks and the Family Fun Day', and our Robotic Learning Village will expand this year to encompass other technologies.

As I sign off this month, I want to take the opportunity to thank those of you that I have met over recent weeks – from Galway to Chicago to Dublin. It is always a pleasure to speak with so many of you; to hear your feedback and to learn more about your work. Together we share a passion for our profession and a sense of community that is brought about by our shared purpose. The sense of being part of a team is one of the facets that attracted so many of us to surgery.

Sadly, over the last year many in our community have faced significant personal and professional challenges or lost loved ones. I am always humbled by how surgical colleagues of all stages pull together during these difficult times. A career in surgery is not easy, especially during difficult times in life, but the sense of collegiality, support and commitment that is present within our community is something that we should take care to preserve for future generations.

Yours sincerely, 

Professor Deborah McNamara
President, RCSI

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