Dr Hedy Fry, Class of 1968, will return to RCSI tonight to address students, alumni and guests at an event to mark the opening of the RCSI Charter Day programme.

The Honourable Dr Fry is a Trinidadian-Canadian politician and physician, and is currently the longest-serving female Member of Parliament, winning eight consecutive elections in the constituency of Vancouver Centre since the 1993 election.

Dr Fry began her political career in 1993 as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. She spent six years from 1996-2002 in Cabinet serving as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Minister for the Status of Women, and sat on a number of Cabinet Committees on health, social policy, volunteerism, homelessness and same-sex benefits.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Fry graduated from RCSI in 1968 before emigrating to Canada in 1970. She practiced family medicine at St Paul’s Hospital in the West End of Vancouver for two decades and was a local, provincial and national leader in medical politics.

Dr Fry continues working hard at key priorities of her constituents and fighting for issues such as human rights, the environment, LGBTQ2+, healthcare, poverty, housing and homelessness, education and many others.

The ‘In Conversation with…’ series showcases RCSI alumni and other inspiring role models who are pioneers in their field, celebrating those who have been successful as healthcare innovators and global thought-leaders.

The event takes place during RCSI’s annual Charter Day meeting, which will see over 500 members of Ireland’s surgical community gather at RCSI to commemorate the foundation of RCSI by a Royal Charter granted by King George III on 11 February 1784.