Former President of RCSI Professor P. Ronan O’Connell has been made an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in recognition of the significant contribution he has made to the practice of surgery throughout his career.

Professor P. Ronan O’ Connell is Emeritus Professor of Surgery UCD and Consultant Surgeon at St Vincent’s University Hospital. An international leader in the field of colorectal surgery, Professor O’Connell was President of RCSI from 2020 to 2022. He has also served as President of the European Surgical Association.

Professor O’Connell was RCSI President during the COVID-19 pandemic. His leadership ensured that the College continued to deliver excellence in surgical training throughout the lockdowns and that it supported surgeons in practice who endeavored to continue to provide surgical care in incredibly challenging circumstances.

Professor O’Connell was educated in Terenure College and Trinity College Dublin. His surgical training in Dublin and Cork was followed by specialist training in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA.

He previously held the roles of Consultant /Senior Lecturer at the London Hospital and Consultant Surgeon at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. In 2002, he became a Newman Clinical Professor in UCD and in 2007 moved to St Vincent’s University Hospital as Professor of Surgery and Head of Subject in UCD.

Election and leadership

Professor O’Connell has played an important leadership role in surgery in Ireland since his election to the Council of RCSI in 2008. He served on multiple RCSI committees and working groups including Chair of the Audit Committee; Irish Surgical Postgraduate Training Committee (ISPTC); and the Court of Examiners.

He is an elected member of the Society of Pelvic Surgeons, European Surgical Association and the International Surgical Group. He was a former Secretary and President of the European Society of Coloproctology.

Professor O’Connell has published widely in the areas of inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic floor physiology and colorectal cancer, authoring more than 300 publications. He was editor of the British Journal of Surgery from 1999 to 2006.

Professor O’Connell has been awarded Honorary Fellowships of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong, the American Surgical Association and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

An outstanding contribution

Professor Deborah McNamara, RCSI President, said: “Throughout his career, Professor Ronan O’Connell has made an outstanding contribution in his field of colorectal surgery and in surgical practice and policy. His Presidency of RCSI during the pandemic was significant and consequential. The surgical community in Ireland is grateful to him for his leadership during that time.”

“Professor Ronan O’Connell is worthy Honorary Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and I am delighted to extend my congratulations to him on this very special occasion,” added Professor McNamara.