Professor Hannah McGee, RCSI Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Michael Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health have been awarded Honorary Fellowships of RCSI.
Honorary Fellowship of RCSI is the highest distinction the College bestows, recognising outstanding achievement in surgery as well as outstanding achievements in other areas.
In his role as President and CEO of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York State, Michael Dowling has led the organisation to clinical, academic and research success over his 22-year tenure. Michael is a committed leader to 85,000 employees, who care for more than 2 million people annually through Northwell’s network of 21 hospitals, over 50 urgent-care centres and 220 primary-care practices.
Northwell’s research arm, the Feinstein Institute, houses 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research trials and 5,000 scientists and staff. Academically, the graduate medical education program at Northwell is one of the largest in North America. When faced with a shortage of medical graduates, Michael took the initiative to fund a medical school, and he also founded a corporate university in 2002 to facilitate a culture of lifelong learning amongst all employees, not solely those in clinical care.
Professor Hannah McGee has made an outstanding contribution to RCSI, holding roles as professor of psychology and later head of department. In 2010 she was appointed dean and since 2021 she has held the office of Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (DVCAA). In 2010, she led the team that secured independent degree-awarding status for RCSI. This landmark achievement in RCSI’s history led directly to RCSI being granted University status in 2019. Her achievements as Dean and DVCAA include major curricular reform and establishment of a School of Population Health.
Throughout her stellar research career exploring psychosocial aspects of health-related quality of life, Professor McGee published widely, is highly cited and has influenced national and international policy. Key achievements included her central role in establishment of the SPHeRE programme, a generational investment by the HRB in health services research, and her authorship of the SAVI report, which gave a voice to some of the most vulnerable individuals in our country and retains an enduring influence on Irish society.
