Deutsche Tageszeitung - RCSI President Calls for Enhanced Surgical Research Support at Millin Meeting

Professor Michael Kerin, president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), has urged that surgeons receive greater institutional support to strengthen the country’s surgical research infrastructure. His comments were delivered ahead of the annual Millin Meeting, which convened leading surgeons, researchers, and healthcare experts on Friday to examine how innovation can be more effectively integrated into clinical practice.

Held under the theme of "research and innovation in surgery," the event focused on expanding Ireland’s capacity for surgical research, facilitating clinical trials, and ensuring that new medical discoveries translate into tangible improvements in patient care. Professor Kerin emphasized that while surgical research is fundamental to advancing healthcare, it requires robust opportunities, support systems, and infrastructure to become a central component of clinical work.

"Progress in surgery depends on our ability to ask important questions, test new approaches and translate evidence into better treatments for patients," Professor Kerin said. "We must continue to strengthen collaboration across our hospitals, universities and research networks, while supporting the next generation of surgeons to lead this work."

The conference featured the forty-ninth Millin Lecture, delivered by Ms Jessie A Elliott, a consultant upper gastrointestinal surgeon and principal investigator at the National Centre for Oesophageal and Gastric Cancer within the Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute. Her presentation, titled "Collaboration and Intelligent Systems to Advance Clinical Trials in Surgical Oncology," explored how collaborative frameworks and intelligent systems can accelerate research in surgical cancer care.

Other keynote speakers included Gráinne Gorman, chief executive of the Health Research Board, who outlined the current landscape of surgical research in Ireland, and Professor Stuart McIntosh, professor of surgical oncology at Queen’s University Belfast, who shared his experiences as a chief investigator in surgical clinical trials. Dr Ciaran Lawlor, chief executive of Travin Bio, concluded the keynote sessions by discussing the development of research concepts into successful biotechnology ventures.

The day-long conference opened with a symposium addressing the role of the National Surgical Research Support Centre (NSRSC) in building research capacity and the strategic vision for the Irish Surgical Trials and Research (I-STAR) Network. Professor Shirley Potter, clinical director of the I-STAR Network, described the initiative as an effort to create a national framework for collaborative surgical research across Ireland.

"Connecting surgeons, trainees, trial experts, research centres and patients, the network will support the development and delivery of high-quality multicentre studies focused on real-world clinical challenges," Professor Potter said. "Our goal is to position Ireland at the forefront of international surgical research and generate evidence that leads to better outcomes for patients."

The programme also covered developments in medical technology, artificial intelligence, and the utilization of health data to support research, alongside discussions on the importance of academic surgery and nurturing the next generation of surgical researchers.

The annual Millin Meeting is held in honor of Terence Millin, a former RCSI president and pioneering Irish urologist whose work transformed the field of urological surgery.

(P.Tomczyk--DTZ)