Programme revealed for RCPI Annual Conference 2025
The programme has been revealed for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Annual Conference 2025.
This flagship event in the college calendar explores the evolving landscape of healthcare – the future of which will be reshaped by groundbreaking advances in medical training and education, clinical practice and care.
RCPI Annual Conference 2025 will explore healthcare equity, diverse training and career pathways, the importance of clinical leadership, the evolution of disease, and the latest clinical pearls from leading specialists.
The conference takes place over three days, with the fireside Public Meeting on 14 October, our Heritage Day on 15 October, and the traditional St. Luke’s Symposium on 16 October.
Keynote speakers include:
Prof Katriona O’Sullivan, lecturer in psychology and author of the bestselling memoir Poor,
Mrs Mary Robinson [in prerecorded conversation], former President of Ireland and former Chair of the Elders,
Dr Robert Califf, cardiologist and previous head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during Joe Biden’s presidency,
Prof Viktor Mukonka, former Director General of Zambia National Public Health Institute during the 2017-2018 Zambia Cholera Outbreak,
Prof Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh,
Prof Mary Horgan, Interim Chief Medical Officer
PUBLIC MEETING – 14 October
Every Voice, Everybody: Advancing Inclusive Healthcare
14 October
No. 6 Kildare Street and online
Prof Katriona O’Sullivan, author of the bestselling memoir Poor, will bring her powerful personal and professional insights to the RCPI public meeting on healthcare equity and inclusion health. Having overcome a childhood marked by poverty, homelessness, and exclusion, Katriona’s journey—from teenage mother to award-winning academic—she will speak of her experience and point to ways to ensure better access to education and health services for all. This is an opportunity to hear Katriona’s story.
A short panel discussion will follow where Katriona will be joined by psychiatrist Prof Brendan Kelly, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Dr Diarmuid O’Shea, paediatrician, Dr Aoibhinn Walsh and Paul Merrigan from the Inclusion Health Team at St James Hospital, Dublin.
HERITAGE DAY – 15 October
The Evolution of Cholera: from Victorian Sligo to Zambia today
15 October
No. 6 Kildare Street and Online
This year we’re shining a spotlight on cholera – a disease, while now rare in Ireland, remains endemic in many regions of the world. The WHO has classified the period from 1961 to the present as the seventh cholera pandemic.
Join our expert panel as they 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.
After coffee we will host a powerful 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 are critical today as they were 170 years ago.
Don't miss our special pop-up exhibition featuring items from our heritage collections, showcasing the history of cholera in Ireland.
ST. LUKE’S SYMPOSIUM
Empowering Clinical Leadership in a Changing World
17 October
No. 6 Kildare Street and Online
Our annual St Luke’s Symposium is a calendar highlight and a benefit of your membership. This year we are delighted to bring another thought-provoking programme with world-class speakers and networking opportunities for our trainees, members, fellows and learner.
This year’s symposium brings together clinicians, educators, and advocates including Mrs. Mary Robinson, Dr Robert Califf and Prof Mary Horgan, to explore the future of healthcare through the lens of innovation, leadership, and progress.
A particular highlight this year will be a pre-recorded conversation with Former President of Ireland and member of the Elders, Mary Robinson followed by a live panel discussion on themes in leadership, climate and health.
Our 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 is adapting to address the needs of doctors and the communities we care for, supported by new models of care. We will hear about emerging population healthcare needs and threats and discuss the intensifying challenges of climate change and health.
With a focus on empowering healthcare professionals to lead meaningful change, St Luke’s symposium offers a dynamic platform to share ideas, shape policy, and accelerate progress across the health system.
VIEW THE ENTIRE PROGRAMME HERE.