Dr Fiona Donald, Dr Helgi Johannsson and Dr Claire Shannon appointed President and Vice-Presidents of the Royal College of Anaesthetists

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is pleased to announce that Dr Fiona Donald has been re-appointed President for a third and final term, following an unopposed call for nominations.

Dr Helgi Johannsson has been re-appointed Vice-President for a second term and will be joined by Dr Claire Shannon, who has been newly appointed Vice-President having stood unopposed for election.

Terms of office for both President and Vice-Presidents will start in September 2023, at which point Dr Russell Perkins will step down as Vice-President.

The President and Vice-Presidents of the College are elected or re-appointed annually from among elected Council Members, in accordance with the process set out in the College Regulations.

Dr Fiona Donald

Fiona has been President of the College since September 2021, having previously served as a Vice-President from 2019 to 2021. She is also one of the Vice-Chairs of the Council of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

Fiona said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to serve a third and final year as President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Leading our specialty is a team effort and I am looking forward to working with Dr Helgi Johannsson and Dr Claire Shannon as Vice Presidents alongside Council, the Board of Trustees and the volunteers and staff at the College. My role would be infinitely more difficult were I not surrounded by so many experts all working towards the same goal of championing and supporting our members and the patients they care for.

“My thanks go to Dr Russell Perkins, who will be standing down as Vice President after two years. During this time, he has done much to maintain and raise standards of care through his work as chair of the ACSA committee, lead for the work on prevention of undetected oesophageal intubation and as a tireless advocate for services for children and young people. His wisdom will be much missed.”

Dr Helgi Johannsson

Helgi has been Vice-President of the College since September 2022 and has previously been Chair of the Membership, Media and Development Board and Editor of the Bulletin.

Helgi said: “I’m so happy to be appointed as Vice-President for a second year. It's been an absolute privilege to serve as Vice President in the last year, for example in relation to campaigning on workforce issues, the development of our exams and our work on environmental sustainability. There is so much I want to contribute to, particularly in the context of current challenges in the NHS, and I look forward to serving our members, representing what is a truly great specialty.”

Dr Claire Shannon

Claire has been a Council Member since March 2018 and is Chair of the Clinical Quality and Research Board. She has been involved in postgraduate education throughout her consultant career, having been a College Tutor, Training Programme Director, Regional Adviser and FRCA examiner. More recently, Claire has been Chair of the Clinical Quality and Research Board and champion of workforce development, standard setting and research outputs from the College.

Claire said: “It is a privilege to be appointed Vice-President of the College and I will do all I can to support our members and our profession in the coming years. Central to that ambition is ensuring the voices of our members are heard and understood so that we can promote the workforce and perioperative healthcare policies that will benefit our specialties and our patients.”