P. Ronan O’Connell is President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, President of the European Surgical Association and Emeritus Professor of Surgery at University College Dublin, Ireland. He trained in Ireland, the UK and the Mayo Clinic, Mn, USA. His research interests include inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic floor physiology and colorectal cancer. He is a past editor of the British Journal of Surgery and associate editor of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. He is an honorary fellow of RCS Glasgow, RCS Edinburgh, RCS England, College of Surgeons of Hong Kong, American Surgical Association and ASCRS. He is past-president and honorary member of ESCP.