RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) has announced the election of Professor Deborah McNamara as the new President of the College.

Professor McNamara takes up office following the College’s biennial Council Elections. A consultant general and colorectal surgeon, she has built a deep experience of the healthcare system as co-lead of the National Clinical Programme for Surgery and as a national healthcare quality improvement leader. 

Professor Michael Kerin, consultant general surgeon at Galway University Hospital, has been elected Vice-President.

Speaking on her appointment, Professor Deborah McNamara said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have been elected President of this College, which for over 240 years has been to the forefront of improving surgical care for patients, safeguarding standards of practice and providing leadership in the field of surgery.

“A key focus of my work as President will be to support the younger generation of surgeons who are dealing with considerable challenges. It is incumbent on us all, but particularly those within leadership roles in our community, to support this generation. I am also committed to continuing RCSI’s engagement with policymakers, regulators, service providers and patients, particularly on issues related to access to surgical care and patient safety.”

Following her appointment as a consultant general and colorectal surgeon at Beaumont Hospital in 2003, Professor McNamara was appointed clinical director for surgery at the hospital, where she has led the development of its colorectal cancer biobank and contributed to research collaborations between Beaumont clinicians and RCSI-affiliated scientists. She founded the betterbeaumont quality improvement learning collaborative in 2014 to support a range of hospital-based improvement activities.  

Among her many roles in leadership and teaching, she has guided the Rectal Cancer Lead Clinician Group of the Health Service Executive National Cancer Control Programme. Through her work with the National Clinical Programme for Surgery, she has helped colleagues in all surgical specialties to publish implementable evidence-based policies and care pathways that will improve the delivery of surgical care in Ireland.

Since her election to the Council of RCSI in 2014, Professor McNamara has contributed as a member and chair of several RCSI and national committees. She has served as Chair of the Committee for Surgical Affairs, Faculty President of the RCSI Surgical Society and the Clinical Lead of the HSE/RCSI Transforming Theatre Healthcare Quality Improvement Programme. 

Her outstanding contributions have been recognised with numerous national and international distinctions with highlights including Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons, the AWS Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award for outstanding mentorship and the Patey Prize. She delivered the 2019 Freyer State of the Art Lecture and the 2022 Robert Smith Lecture at the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland.  

Professor Michael Kerin is a Consultant General Surgeon at Galway University Hospital with a special interest in breast and endocrine cancer. He is deeply committed to the integration of academic surgery into healthcare delivery and clinical practice which he drives through his leadership roles including Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery at University of Galway and Director of the Cancer Managed Clinical Academic Network for Saolta University Health Care Group.

	The 2024-2026 Council comprises the following members
President	Professor Deborah McNamara
Vice-President	Professor Michael Kerin
Council	Mr James Geraghty Professor Kevin Conlon Mr David Moore Professor Laura Viani Professor Camilla Carroll Professor Micheal O’Riordain Mr Sean Johnston Mr Paddy Kenny Professor Kilian Walsh Mr John Caird Ms Bridget Egan Mr Keith Synnott Professor Carmel Malone Professor John Quinlan Professor Ronan Cahill  Professor Paul Ridgway Professor David Healy Ms Ann Hanly Mr Barry O’Sullivan