Taoiseach Micheál Martin has today launched a new portrait of Professor Mary Horgan. She is the first female President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. The portrait, by Cork-based artist Jack Hickey, is the third female portrait to hang in the college in its 368-year history. It is joining Dr Kathleen Lynn, who was Chief Medical Officer during the Easter Rising in 1916. This is alongside the late Laura Brennan. She is the powerful patient advocate and ardent promoter of the HPV vaccine, who died of cervical cancer aged 26 in 2019.
Prof Horgan, who is in her second term, is the College’s 142nd President. A native of Tralee County Kerry, she is a Consultant in Infectious Diseases. This is at Cork University Hospital where she worked on the COVID-19 ward throughout the pandemic. She is also the former Dean of the School of Medicine at University College Cork. Prof Horgan was a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team. She also chaired Ireland’s first National Research Ethics Committee and led the Expert Advisory Group on Rapid testing. This is a tool we have all become familiar with to help to protect each other.
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