The College’s Annual Conference aims to challenge, inspire, and equip attendees to lead with purpose
in an evolving medical landscape
The RCPI Annual Conference returns on 14-16 October. It will bring together clinicians, educators, researchers, and thought leaders under the title of Healthcare Horizons: Inspire. Lead. Transform.
This flagship event is a call to action to healthcare professionals to add their voice as we reflect on the future of medicine and the evolving role of physicians in shaping equitable, innovative, and resilient healthcare systems.
Groundbreaking advances in medical training and education, clinical practice and care, are reshaping the future of medicine – enhancing outcomes for patients and empowering doctors to thrive in a rapidly changing medical landscape. Across three days, the conference will explore healthcare equity from access to treatment, diverse training and career pathways, the importance of clinical leadership, the evolution of disease, and the latest clinical pearls from leading specialists.
Speakers include:
▶ Ms Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, Chair of the Elders, and climate and justice advocate.
▶ Prof Katriona O’Sullivan (PhD), Author of the bestselling memoir Poor.
▶ Dr Fiona Gallagher (PhD), Urban Historian, School of History and Geography, Dublin City University.
▶ Prof Robert Califf, Department of Medicine, Duke University, and former Commissioner of Food and Drugs, US Food and Drug Administration.
▶ Dr Colm Henry, HSE Chief Clinical Officer.
▶ Prof Mary Horgan, Interim Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health.
▶ Prof Andrew Elder, President, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, UK.
The conference will take place at the College’s home, No 6, Kildare Street, Dublin, and will also be streamed online.
RCPI President Dr Diarmuid O’Shea emphasised that the gathering will inform attendees of how to shape the future of medicine through leadership, collaboration, and bold thinking.
“Healthcare is changing at an unprecedented pace,” Dr O’Shea said.
“This demands that postgraduate medical training bodies evolve, innovate, and prepare doctors not just for today’s challenges, but for tomorrow’s possibilities. This is a call to reimagine our roles together and build a future where innovation and equity go hand in hand.”
Advancing inclusive healthcare
Prof Katriona O’Sullivan will bring her powerful personal and professional insights to the RCPI public meeting on healthcare equity and inclusion health on Tuesday 14 October.
Drawing on her own journey from a childhood marked by poverty, homelessness, addiction, and exclusion to becoming an award-winning academic, Prof O’Sullivan will share her experiences and highlight ways to improve access to education and health services for all.
In Poor, Prof O’Sullivan reflects on the systemic barriers that shape lives long before opportunity ever arrives.
As she writes: “Being poor controls how you see yourself, how you trust and speak, how you see the world, and how you dream.”
Her story is a powerful reminder that resilience alone is not enough. Systemic barriers rooted in inequality, discrimination, and neglect hinder countless people in our society from accessing education, healthcare, opportunity, and dignity.
Following her talk, Prof O’Sullivan will be joined for a panel discussion by Prof Brendan Kelly, Consultant Psychiatrist; Dr Aoibhinn Walsh, Consultant Paediatrician; and Mr Paul Merrigan from the Inclusion Health Team at St James’s Hospital, Dublin. They will explore the systemic barriers to equitable healthcare, a framework to support physicians, and a path toward a more inclusive health service for all.
The evolution of cholera
On Wednesday 15 October, our heritage programme shines a light on cholera – a disease that, while now rare in Ireland, remains endemic in many regions of the world. The World Health Organisation has classified the period from 1961 to the present as the seventh cholera pandemic.
An expert panel will trace cholera’s journey from the first Irish outbreak in 1832, through its representation in literature to today’s efforts to eradicate the disease in Zambia.
The panel will feature Dr Fiona Gallagher, who will examine the spatial impact of the 1832 epidemic. Prof Geraldine Meaney (PhD), School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin, will explore cholera’s representation in literature, while Prof Viktor Mukonka, Professor of Public Health, will share his experience managing outbreaks in Zambia at different periods, such as during the 2017/18 cholera crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
After coffee, there will be a reading of Miasma, a play by Colin Murphy, inspired by Dr John Snow’s pioneering epidemiological research on the 1850s outbreak in London. The play explores issues around trust in science and pandemic response – themes that are as critical today as they were 170 years ago.
A special pop-up exhibition, featuring items from our heritage collections, showcasing the history of cholera in Ireland, will also be on display throughout the Annual Conference.
Empowering clinical leadership
St Luke’s Symposium is the flagship clinical event of the meeting and will be held on Thursday 16 October. It will deliver a thought-provoking programme with world-class speakers and networking opportunities for trainees, members, Fellows, and learners.
The programme will inform how we think about medical training, clinical leadership, and population health in the year ahead. We will explore the role of clinical leadership in unlocking the future of healthcare and how training and practice are adapting to address the needs of doctors and the communities we care for, supported by new models of care. Discussions will centre around emerging population healthcare needs and threats and the intensifying challenges of climate change and health.
There will be an exclusive pre-recorded interview with Ms Mary Robinson, followed by a live panel discussion on the themes of leadership, climate, health, and global responsibility.
Next, doctors who have paved unconventional paths during their careers in medicine will share their stories. We will hear updates on the training landscape, and a keynote address from Prof Robert Califf, who will discuss the role of leadership in public health and explore how we can leverage population demographics to lead progress.
Prof Andrew Elder will speak about the evolving role of the doctor in modern medical practice.
He will be joined by Prof Pat Nash, Regional Clinical Director, HSE West North West, and Prof Richard Green, HSE Chief Clinical Information Officer, who will consider the evolution of digital innovations in healthcare.
Other speakers include Prof Dara Byrne, Professor of Simulation Education, School of Medicine, University of Galway, who will speak on clinical leadership in advancing practice, while Prof Mary Horgan will discuss population health needs and emerging threats. Finally, Dr Colm Henry will reflect on Sláintecare and the way forward in healthcare policy.
Our closing session will focus on clinical pearls and medical vignettes, including age-friendly healthcare, rewriting the script of penicillin allergy, integrating women’s health across medicine, and truth and power in science.
During the conference, the RCPI will welcome new Fellows and three new Honorary Fellows: Prof Andrew Elder, Prof Viktor Mukonka, and Prof Robert Califf.
Book your place here: https://web-eur.cvent.com/event/5e2067b9-403f-4572-bfbd5fb67a17c80a/summary
This article was produced by the RCPI.
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