A message from the President of RCSI

3 July 2025

Dear Fellows and Members,

Exams are over and summer is upon us. I hope that you are planning some downtime over the coming months to recharge the batteries after a busy academic year. This month I’d like to highlight further details of the 2025 Millin Meeting that will take place on 14 November so that you can save the date in your diary now.

Over the past few months, the planning and organisation of the annual Millin Meeting has been ongoing. I can now confirm that the theme of this year’s meeting is ‘Shaping Future Surgical Research and Training’. Much thought and consideration has gone into ensuring that the topics and talks within the programme will resonate with all attendees regardless of career stage and I am very grateful to the organising committee for their work.

As always, the Millin will focus on surgical research and training, with an eye to topical issues. For surgical trainees, the meeting will provide important insights about how to develop better academic research skills and how to integrate research into the surgical career path in a way that supports your career goals. For surgical researchers, the update from the National Surgical Research Support Centre and the competition for the RCSI National Surgical Research Medal will be of particular interest. For consultants and surgical trainers, the morning session will update on the supports available to improve the quality of research in your department, both for your trainees but also showing ways to assist you in increasing your professional networks and collaborations.

The afternoon will focus on surgical training – showing how modern surgical training has become more professionalised and evidence-based using evidence from Ireland and internationally. Early career surgeons will be particularly interested in hearing expert guidance on the thorny issue of assessing professionalism, from Ireland’s only Chair of Professionalism in Medicine and Health Sciences, Professor Denis Harkin FRCSI.

As always, a central feature of the programme are the keynote lectures, and I am very pleased to share that we will welcome four fantastic speakers to Millin 2025.

The first keynote of the day will be delivered by Professor Declan Devane, Professor of Health Research Methodology and Deputy Dean of the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Galway, on the topic of 'Better Trials, Better Evidence: Innovations in Trials Methodology'. Professor Devane is the Scientific Director of the HRB-Trials Methodology Research Network, Director of Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Director of Cochrane Ireland. His insights into designing better research will help surgical researchers build a better evidence base for progress in our discipline.

Our second keynote will be delivered by RCSI Fellow, Professor Shirley Potter, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, St James's Hospital & Blackrock Clinic; Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, University College Dublin; National Training Programme Director, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, RCSI. Professor Potter FRCSI has achieved all the major milestones of a successful academic surgical career, and I very much look forward to her insights about 'The Future of the Clinician Scientist'.

I am also delighted to share that Professor Jennifer Cleland, from the Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine, Singapore and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, will deliver a keynote on 'Evidence-Based Surgical Training', that will provide insights to trainees and trainers alike. Given the increasing interest in research in surgical education and training, her international perspective will be most welcome.

Last, but by no means least, I am delighted that Professor Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute, University of Cambridge has agreed to give the final keynote lecture of the day. Entitled 'An Evidence-Based Approach to Improving and Innovating in Surgery', her lecture will provide a stimulating and timely perspective.

Of course, the highlight of the Millin programme is the 48th Millin Lecture and applications are open now. The opportunity to deliver this year’s lecture is open to all Members or Fellows of the College who are In Good Standing. I invite you to read more about the Millin Meeting here.

Fellows and Members community

Conferring ceremonies are a feature of the summer months for our surgical Fellows and Members. On Sunday, 15 June I was delighted to be present in Penang, Malaysia to recognise the achievements of 25 newly conferred Members of RCSI. With family and friends present, it was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the dedication and determination of our newest members.

I am looking forward to an equally uplifting and enjoyable occasion next Monday, 7 July when 101 Members and 33 Fellows will be conferred in-person in the Desmond Auditorium, 26 York Street. Prior to the ceremony, I will be joined by Ms Christina Fleming FRCSI, Chair of the Early Career Surgeons Network (ECSN), at a special reception for incoming Fellows and their families to mark the culmination of many years of hard work, perseverance and sacrifice.

Ensuring that our newest colleagues feel supported as they commence on the next stage of their career pathway has been a key priority for me as President. I’m extremely grateful to Council Liaison to the ECSN Professor David Healy FRCSI and indeed to all my colleagues on Council for their continued support of this initiative. I feel confident that the ECSN and other more experienced colleagues will continue to support, mentor and advocate on behalf of younger colleagues, especially in these challenging times for our profession.

Conferrings serve to remind us not only of the depth of talent in our membership but also of the breadth of our community. In recent weeks, RCSI conducted our annual ‘census’, and I am pleased to report that we currently have 7,350 contactable Fellows and Members living and practicing in 80 countries worldwide. This network is an invaluable source of professional and collegiate support right through from surgical training to retirement.

No matter where you might be practicing, I encourage you to stay in contact and to explore the range of practical benefits and resources available via the Fellows and Members Portal as well as the new PCS portal which has been developed to support the implementation of the new framework for professional competence introduced by the Irish Medical Council for doctors working in Ireland. Details of the new framework, as required by the Irish Medical Council effective from 1 May 2025, as well as a summary of the key differences to previous years can be downloaded here. RCSI also provides additional guidance and helpful resources, which are available here. Furthermore, our colleagues in the PCS office are happy to provide further advice and are contactable via email at pcs@rcsi.com.

Making the most of summer

I am mindful that July is always a very busy month clinically. Not only is it a month when many of you bid farewell to your current teams and welcome new rotations of interns and surgical trainees, but, at the same time, many of you are juggling additional parental commitments due to the school holidays.

At the moment, it seems that every day brings a new crisis, whether in the world of healthcare or in global events. The terrible violence in many parts of our shared world is most distressing, especially for those with family and friends in affected areas. I encourage you to reach out to your colleagues and check in. A kind word is always hugely appreciated.

Despite everything, I would urge you all to avail of some annual leave to switch off and recharge the batteries. It is certainly well-deserved for members of one of the hardest-working professions, and its critical to your continued well-being.

Yours sincerely, 

Professor Deborah McNamara
President, RCSI

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