Dr O’Shea became a Member of RCPI in 1988 and a Fellow in 1998. A graduate of University College Dublin, Ireland, he did his core training in Ireland and worked in Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee and the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospitals in Newcastle, United Kingdom, before returning to the post of Consultant Geriatrician at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.   

He served as National Specialty Director in Geriatric Medicine from 2000 to 2004 and was elected to RCPI Council in 2007.  He established the successful RCPI Masterclass Series in 2007 and held the positions of Masterclass Series Convenor and Vice-President of Education and Professional Development from 2007 to 2014.  He was Registrar of RCPI from 2014 to 2020, playing a leading role in promoting the College’s work to improve patient care, the quality of medical practice and the health of the population.  He served as Chair of the Irish Committee of Higher Medical Training between 2017 and 2019, President of the Irish Gerontological Society from 2017 to 2020, Clinical Lead for the National Clinical Programme for Older People in the HSE from 2010 to 2019, and was the RCPI Clinical Lead for the Mandatory Teaching Review from 2021 to 2023. 

He was elected as the 143rd President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 2023 and took up his role at the RCPIs annual stated meeting on 18 October 2023.  

Contact: president@rcpi.ie

Professor Michael Keane is Registrar of the College, and an elected Fellow on RCPI Council. Prof Keane is Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics at UCD and Consultant Respiratory Physician at St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH). He graduated from UCD in 1989 and following initial clinical training in Dublin, moved to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor for a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine in 1995. He subsequently took up a faculty position at University of Michigan in 1998 and in 2000 moved to University of California, Los Angeles, where he was Professor of Medicine and Programme Director for the UCLA Interstitial Lung Disease Center.

Professor Keane returned to UCD and St Vincent's University Hospital in 2007 where he is an SFI Principal Investigator at the UCD Conway Institute and SVUH Lead Clinical Coordinator for Lung Cancer services. He is Lead Clinical Director, Chairman of the Medicine Division, Chair of the SVUH Medical Executive and a member of the hospital Board of Directors. He is Clinical Director of the UCD Clinical Research Centre and a member of the Molecular Medicine Ireland Board of Directors. His research interests centre on molecular investigation into, and treatment of, inflammatory lung diseases, particularly pulmonary fibrosis. 

Professor Mary Higgins is Treasurer of RCPI. Originally from Kildare, Prof Higgins graduated from University College Dublin in 2000 and completed her training in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Ireland, with membership of the RCPI and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK) in 2005.

She has master's degrees in Evidence Based Healthcare (University of Oxford), Clinical Education (University of Galway), a MD by research in Diabetes in Pregnancy and is completing a Masters in Patient Safety and Human Factors from RCSI.

She trained in Maternal Fetal Medicine in Toronto, Canada and returned to Ireland to her current post, as Associate Professor in University College Dublin and a consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist in the National Maternity Hospital.

As a Principal Investigator in UCD Perinatal Research Centre, she has more than 100 publications and supervises PhD, MD, MSc and undergraduate students. 

Prof. Higgins is Chair of the MRCPI Obstetrics and Gynecology Exam Board and a Fellow of RCPI. 

Dr Anna Clarke MD, MPH, FFPHMI, FFPH, FRCPI, Diploma in Leadership and Quality in Healthcare, currently works as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine at the Department of Public Health HSE East in response to the Covid19 surge. Prior to this, she worked in the National Immunisation Office and undertook project work in NDTP until February 2020. She is the Clinical Lead for the International Clinical Fellowship Programme, RCPI. She is a member of the Education and Training Committee of the Institute of Medicine and National Immunisation Advisory Committee.

A former Dean and NSD of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, she is a current examiner for the FFPHMI examination. In addition, she is a member of the Education, Training and Professional Development Committee and on the Education and Training General Assessors Panel, Medical Council of Ireland, having previously served as a Member and Vice President. Her main interests are education, training and immunisation.

Dr Hogan is a full-time specialist in Occupational Medicine. He was previously the Dean of the Faculty and also served on the College Council. He was the President of the 2018 ICOH Congress in Dublin, the largest Occupational Health event in Ireland, and currently holds the position of Vice President of ICOH. 

Professor McHugh is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Sligo University Hospital. She served on the Board of the Institute of Medicine on the RCPI Council from 2017-2022. She is also part of the MRCPI Part II Examinations Board, and Convenor of the Clinical Examination in Sligo. Prof McHugh is also an External Examiner for MRCPI examinations abroad, and a Trainer for Examiners. 

Professor Liam Plant is an elected Fellow and Censor on the RCPI Council. He graduated in Physiology (1982) and Medicine (1985) from UCC. Following General Professional Training in Cork, he entered Higher Specialist Training in Nephrology in Scotland and was appointed Consultant Renal Physician at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Medicine at Edinburgh University. Since 2001 he has had a busy clinical and teaching practice in Cork University Hospital as Consultant Renal Physician and as a Clinical Professor in Renal Medicine in UCC.

He holds, and has held, numerous leadership positions in many domains (Clinical Practice, Service Delivery, Administration, Education, Training & Professional Development) integral to the practice of Medicine. 

Professor Reddan served on Council for 10 years, from 2012 to 2022. He was Vice-President in 2014-2015 and Treasurer from 2017 to 2022. During his tenure, he served as the Education Committee's secretary and chaired the Finance Audit and Risk Committee.  

Professor Aine Carroll, Professor of Healthcare Integration and Improvement at University College Dublin and Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the NRH in Dublin, has dedicated her career to blending academic rigour with practical clinical expertise.

In her leadership roles, Professor Carroll has significantly influenced the field of integrated care. As Chair of the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), she has led initiatives to promote integrated care models both nationally and globally. Her previous role as National Director of the Clinical Strategy and Programmes Division in the HSE saw her spearheading systemic change through the establishment of Integrated Care Programmes.

Professor Carroll’s longstanding association with the RCPI highlights her dedication to advancing medical education and healthcare standards. Her contributions include serving as a member of the MRCP Part 1 Board (2023-current), an elected RCPI Council member (2015-2020), and the ICHMT Professional Competence Schemes (PCS) Representative for RCPI (2019-2020). She also served as National Specialty Director for Rehabilitation. Professor Carroll has been involved in several key committees, such as the Governance Oversight Group, the GDPR Professional Policy Group, and the Finance Audit and Risk Committee (FinARC).

Dr Laura Durcan is a Rheumatologist, Physician and Associate Clinical Director at Beaumont Hospital, and she previously served as Vice-President of the IHCA. 

Dr Durcan is deeply committed to addressing the challenges faced by non-scheme doctors, many of whom are overseas professionals who play a crucial role in the Irish healthcare system but often struggle to receive proper recognition for their training. Additionally, she is eager to normalise, encourage and facilitate the pursuit of a balanced life for Trainees, helping them to manage both their professional and personal lives. She believes that improving working conditions for doctors in training is essential to ensure they continue to thrive as physicians.