Medical Council Elects Incoming President

• Professor Deirdre J Murphy has been elected to replace Dr Suzanne Crowe as Medical Council President from 29th July 2026

Wednesday, 29th July 2026: The members of the Medical Council have today elected Professor Deirdre J Murphy as the incoming President of the Medical Council. Prof Murphy is elected by the members of the Medical Council and will begin the role from today, 29th July 2026.

Prof Murphy has served as a member of the Medical Council since 1st June 2023. Addressing members of Council today at the Medical Council’s offices 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.”

“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,” concluded Dr O'Kane.