16/11/2025
A monumental moment has arrived. After 520 years, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has elected its first female president, Dr. Clare McNaught. This completes a cycle of change across all Royal Colleges in the UK and Ireland.
While we celebrate this historic achievement, it is not the end of the journey. It is a call to action.
Let this be the moment we commit to dismantling the barriers that still hold back so many talented women, especially in fields like orthopaedic surgery.
It is time to move beyond applause and into action. Step forward and demand sponsorship, equitable policies, and a culture where every surgeon, regardless of gender, can lead.
First came Ireland, where Professor Eilis McGovern made history in 2010 as the first female President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland — and the first woman to lead any Royal College of Surgeons in the world. Then, in 2014, Dame Clare Marx shattered another centuries-old ceiling when sh...
