The members of the Medical Council have elected Prof Deirdre J Murphy as incoming President. The election took place yesterday (29 July).

Prof Murphy has served as a member of the Medical Council since 1 June 2023.  She is Chair of Obstetrics and a Consultant Obstetrician at Trinity College Dublin and the Coombe Hospital, Dublin. She is a clinical academic with over 30 years’ experience in obstetrics and gynaecology. Prof Murphy has formal training in healthcare leadership and has been an expert medical witness and independent assessor for over 20 years.

Addressing members of Council at Kingram House in Dublin, she highlighted her vision for the future of the regulator:

“My priority as President will be to ensure rigour and excellence across all the Medical Council’s areas of responsibility, so that patient safety remains at the centre of our work and doctors, patients and the public can have full trust and confidence in us.

“I’m committed to supporting doctors at every stage of their career, because a regulator that understands the full professional life cycle of a doctor is one that can work towards preventing harm before it happens.”

She continued: “I want to promote strong governance, ensuring the Medical Council is both effective and financially sustainable for the future.

“I plan to strengthen relationships between Council members, the Council Executive and important stakeholders to ensure that we work together to promote safer better healthcare through our role as a regulator.

Prof Murphy also paid tribute to outgoing President, Dr Suzanne Crowe.

“I also want to pay tribute to Dr Suzanne Crowe, who has been President since 2021 and a Council member since 2018. Her contribution to right-touch regulation and her compassion and expertise have protected patients and supported doctors throughout her tenure. I want to thank her for her partnership and wish her well.”

Dr Maria O’Kane, CEO of the Medical Council, said: “I warmly congratulate Prof Murphy on her election as President of the Medical Council, and I look forward to working closely with her in this role.

“Patient safety is, and will always be, the Medical Council’s first concern, and trust between doctor and patient is at the heart of everything we do as a regulator. I’m confident that under Prof Murphy’s leadership, the Council will continue to build that trust as we work to achieve our regulatory remit.”

The Medical Council has today announced the procedures for the election of three of the six directly elected members.

The current term of office of one of the directly elected members of the Medical Council is due to expire on 31 May 2026. This position, along with two existing vacancies on the Medical Council, are to be filled by election.

The Medical Council has a statutory role in protecting the public by promoting the highest professional standards amongst doctors practising in Ireland. The Council is made up of 25 members, with a majority of 13 non-medical members and 12 medical members. Members are appointed through a mixture of elections, nominations by a number of bodies and through the public appointments system.

To be eligible for election, a person must be a registered medical practitioner practising medicine in the State (but excluding any visiting EEA practitioner) on the day preceding the last day for receiving nominations (13 January 2026) and fall into one of the three categories listed below.

An independent Returning Officer has been appointed and, in accordance with the provisions of section 17(1) and (8) of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, will conduct the election process.

The three members appointed following the election process must fall under the following categories:

• One medical practitioner registered or able to be registered in the Specialist Division in relation to anaesthesia
• One medical practitioner registered or able to be registered in the Specialist Division in relation to public health medicine
• One medical practitioner registered or able to be registered in the Specialist Division in relation to pathology or radiology

The Medical Council is encouraging all interested and eligible doctors to consider running for election.

The period for the receipt of nomination papers commenced at 9am on 15 December 2025 and runs until 1pm on 14 January 2026. The independent Returning Officer will formally receive all nomination papers (and will attend at the offices of the Medical Council) between the hours of 10am and 1pm on 14 January 2026.

If there is more than one nominated candidate in a category, an electronic poll shall be taken. The period during which votes may be received by the independent Returning Officer will commence at 12 noon on 6 February 2026 and close at 12 noon on 26 February 2026. All registered medical practitioners (as at 12 noon on 23 January 2026) will be entitled to vote electronically in the election via a link which will be communicated via email.

Following the close of nominations at 1pm on 14 January 2026, further information and updates regarding the election will be available on the Medical Council’s website and social media channels. Nomination papers and other information, including information on the roles and responsibilities of Council members, which is included in the Medical Council’s Corporate Governance Framework regarding the election, are available on the Medical Council website: www.medicalcouncil.ie/elections.

Any queries regarding the process for the nominations or elections process may be directed to election2026@mcirl.ie.