10 August 2022

Dear Fellows and Members,

As we all take a break to recharge our batteries, it is ever more important for healthcare professionals, surgeons and the wider surgical community to disconnect and truly switch off and concentrate on health and well-being and I hope the summer months give you all some space to do that.

My first couple of months as President of RCSI have been about planning and connecting with our community and I am delighted to be launching our event plan for Fellows and Members for the coming 12 months and beyond. Our popular Surgical Matters webinar series will kick-off on 21 September with ‘Modern Advances in the Management of Colorectal Cancer’. I will also be travelling to Waterford for our ‘RCSI Doing the Rounds’ roadshow on 27 October and hope to meet as many of our Fellows and Members in the region, as I can to sit down with you and listen to your concerns about local issues.

Our Charter Day planning meeting is well under way and with our 'Shaping the Future' theme it promises to offer a very rich programme of speakers and topics. I look forward to meeting some of our many Fellows, Members and Alumni in person during our annual week from Saturday, 28 January to Friday, 3 February 2023 and at our many events over the course of my presidency. I am delighted to support our in-person Affiliate Member session 'The Future of Surgery in your Safe Hands – How to Become a Stand-out Surgeon’, aimed at medical students, interns, foundation and junior doctors, surgical trainees and those interested in a career in surgery.

In July, we published our Surgeons Scope magazine, making for a rich and varied read, featuring the upbeat and inspiring surgical journey of Ms Tafadzwa Mandiwanza, Paediatric Neurosurgeon; a wonderful feature on the impact of Schwartz Rounds to improve the well-being in surgeons and surgical teams; Professor Eilis McGovern reflects on an outstanding career; and much more. I highly recommend you to read this issue and if you haven’t got your copy please contact the Fellows and Members office at fellows@rcsi.ie.

As we look forward to a busy autumn and winter, may I take this opportunity to invite all of our Fellows and Members who are travelling to the ACS Clinical Congress in October to join me for a special RCSI reception on Monday, 17 October from 5pm to 7pm in the Marriott Marquis Hotel, San Diego Marina. It will be a great opportunity to network and connect with RCSI Fellows, Members, Alumni and friends in a social setting. If you would like to attend, you can find information on how to register here.

I look forward to meeting with as many Fellows and Members as I can over the coming months and years and to working with you to achieve together.

With best wishes to you all. 

Professor Laura Viani
President, RCSI