Shaping a healthier future at the RCPI

Older women’s health and healthcare technology will be among the areas explored at the RCPI Annual Conference 2026

‘Shaping a healthier future: Lead, innovate, and transform’ is the theme for the RCPI’s upcoming Annual Conference 2026. The speakers will include Mr Derek Tierney, Department of Health Secretary General; Dr Robert A Harrington, Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, US; and Dr Paula Rochon, Director of Research at the Weston and O’Born Centre for Mature Women’s Health, Sinai Health, Canada.

The conference takes place at No 6, Kildare Street, Dublin, on 20–22 October. It is an associated event of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). Many of the conference themes are aligned with the broader EU Presidency health agenda, including disease prevention, women’s health, and health system resilience and innovation.

This year’s conference provides a wide lens through which to view the world of health – whether by sharing expertise on wellbeing and obesity at the public meeting; glimpsing the Georgian Dublin of past RCPI President Dr Henry Quin on Heritage Day; or providing a platform for health leaders to explore opportunities to shape the future of healthcare at St Luke’s Symposium.

The conference also marks an important moment for the College community. Invited doctors will receive their RCPI Fellowship at the fellowship admission ceremony, while Consultant Respiratory Physician Prof Anto O’Regan will take up office as new RCPI President at the Annual Stated Meeting.

Public meeting

The public meeting (20 October) is a free event intended for the wider public.

Chaired this year by journalist Ms Alison O’Connor (The Sunday Times), the public meeting is themed ‘Living well: A public conversation on health, wellbeing, and obesity’. Experts will share practical information on health and wellbeing, as well as clinical insights on obesity management. The panel includes Dietitian Ms Orla Walsh; Prof Donal O’Shea, Consultant Endocrinologist, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin; and Dr Ximena Ramos Salas, Public Health Researcher and affiliated researcher, Institute of Psychology, Lund University, Sweden. Prof O’Shea and Dr Salas helped to design RCPI’s new Professional Diploma in Obesity Care.

Heritage Day

On Heritage Day (21 October), RCPI celebrates the 100th anniversary of the donation of the Quin Tassie Collection to the College.

James Tassie (1735-1799) was a renowned Scottish gem engraver. His mentor was six-time RCPI President Dr Henry Quin (1717-1791), an important patron of the arts. The Quin Tassie Collection consists of 26 drawers of miniature gem casts and moulds on which they are believed to have collaborated.

Heritage Day 2026 is themed ‘Medicine, art, and society in Georgian Dublin’. It will bring together both men’s stories, informed by recent work conducted by the RCPI Heritage Centre and National Galleries Scotland, which shines a light on how Quin and Tassie worked together. Heritage Day will also examine Dr John Gilborne’s The Medical Review, offering a unique perspective on the medical and social landscape of the period.

A special musical performance by the Irish Baroque Orchestra (Young Artists) will further bring Dublin’s Georgian era to life.

St Luke’s Symposium

St Luke’s Symposium (22 October) is a flagship College event, bringing together clinicians of national and international significance. This year’s theme is ‘Innovation, prevention, and policy: Shaping tomorrow’s health’.

Ireland’s medical community will have the opportunity to hear from Secretary General of the Department of Health Mr Derek Tierney in regard to digital health strategy. The growing role of technology will also be addressed by Prof Catherine Quinlan, Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist, Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) and RCPI Clinical Lead for Artificial Intelligence (AI); and HSE Chief Technology and Transformation Officer Mr Damien McCallion.

Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU spotlights prevention in healthcare, a recurring theme across RCPI’s programme of clinical meetings throughout the year. A dedicated session titled ‘Prevention is better than cure’ will take place during the St Luke’s Symposium. It will include contributions from researchers and physicians tackling some of the core challenges faced by society. Topics include addressing the impact of profit-driven industries on health, working to reduce tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food harms, and tackling the consequences of physical inactivity.

Speakers include Prof Catherine B Woods, Physical Activity for Health Research Cluster, Health Research Institute, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick; Dr Paul Kavanagh, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE National Health Intelligence Unit, and Chair of the RCPI Clinical Advisory Group on Smoking and E-Cigarettes; Dr Norah Campbell, Associate Professor of Business, Trinity Business School; and Prof Frank Murray, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Bon Secours Hospital, Dublin, and Chair of the European Health Alliance on Alcohol.

New opportunities in physician training and health-care delivery following HSE regionalisation will be discussed by regional clinical directors and executive officers from HSE West and North West and HSE Dublin and North East.

International perspectives will be provided by keynote speakers: Dr Robert A Harrington, Cardiologist and Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, who will speak on advancing the use of AI in biomedical discovery, including cardiovascular health; and Dr Paula Rochon, a Geriatrician whose commitment to addressing the under-representation of older women in medical studies drives her work as Director of Research at the Weston and O’Born Centre for Mature Women’s Health, Sinai Health, Toronto.

A number of trainees will also be presenting at the conference. Dr Paul O’Brien (basic specialist training in general internal medicine, Cork University Hospital) will speak on his journey into medicine via China, including helping to connect doctors in Ireland and China during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr Bearach Reynolds (higher specialist training in infectious diseases) and Dr Rachel McNamara (higher specialist training in public health medicine) will speak about discovering their specialties, which both have a crucial role in population health.

Findings from a new national study of the medical workforce will be revealed by Dr Mary T O’Neill, Occupational Medicine Physician and recipient of a HSE Aspire Fellowship.

In the popular ‘Clinical Pearls’ session, Prof Joseph Keane, Consultant Respiratory Physician, St James’s Hospital, Dublin, will warn against complacency on tuberculosis; and Consultant Neurologist at St James’s, Dr Aoife Laffan, will speak on functional neurological disorders. The importance of kindness in moments of high stress and clinical intensity will be discussed by Dr John Fitzsimons, Consultant Paediatrician, CHI at Temple Street and Clinical Director of the RCPI’s Being Safe Together programme and Postgraduate Certificate in Quality Improvement Leadership in Healthcare.

The conference also marks an important moment for the College community

This article was produced by the RCPI.
Register for the event here: https://web-eur.cvent.com/event/19ee3409-a47e-4d89-a40d-299b2a090a1c/summary