Prof Michael Kerin elected as new President of RCSI

The RCSI has announced the election of Prof Michael Kerin as the new President of the College.

Prof Kerin takes up office following the College’s biennial Council elections.

A Consultant General Surgeon with a special interest in breast and endocrine cancer, Prof Kerin is “deeply committed” to the integration of academic surgery into healthcare delivery and clinical practice, according to a statement from the College.

“This has been evident through his leadership roles as Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery at University of Galway and Director of the Cancer Managed Clinical Academic Network for HSE West and North-West,” the RCSI said.

Speaking on his appointment, Prof Kerin stated: “It is a privilege to be elected as President of the College, an institution that has championed patient-focused surgical care, safeguarded professional standards and led the field of surgery in Ireland for over 240 years.

“Throughout my term as President, I aim to further develop collaboration between academia and clinical practice, including supporting the objectives of the Irish Surgical Research Collaborative. I am committed to supporting practising surgeons nationwide, increasing access to improved surgical infrastructure and nurturing and empowering our surgical trainees as they are the future leaders of our profession.”

A co-author of more than 500 papers, Prof Kerin is an experienced clinician-scientist and holds national roles as Research Director of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute and Principal Investigator in the All-Ireland Cancer Research Institute and Precision Oncology Ireland. He holds a DSc from the National University of Ireland for his research outputs.

Since his election to the Council of RCSI in 2006, Prof Kerin has made a number of contributions to the RCSI and Irish surgery through his experience of chairing committees and board membership.

He is past Chair of the Irish Surgical Postgraduate Training Committee and was Chair of the Short-Life Working Group on Surgical Research and Irish Surgical Research Centre. He was a board member of the Health Research Board from 2006 to 2012 and Convener of the Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium.

At an international level, he was External Assessor to the UK Breast Screening Programme from 2005 to 2012, member of the James IV Association, and several other international breast and surgical oncology associations.

The College also announced that Mr David Moore, Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, Tallaght University Hospital and Blackrock Health, has been elected Vice-President.

According to the RCSI, Mr Moore has over two decades of “dedicated service” in surgical practice, education and leadership, including his current role as Chair of the Expert Group on Best Practice in Clinical Governance in Surgery.

Mr Moore is Clinical Lead for Spinal Surgery at CHI where he is “at the forefront of implementing vital care pathways that reflect the latest clinical standards while responding effectively to the evolving needs of Ireland’s healthcare system”.

He has held a number of leadership roles in his specialty including past-President of the Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, past-President of the Irish Paediatric Orthopaedic Society, and inaugural Joint Clinical Lead in the National Trauma and Programme.