51^st Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture & Surgical Symposium

2026 Keynote Speakers

Professor Shafi Ahmed is a world-renowned, multi-award-winning surgeon, author, teacher, futurist, innovator, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and international keynote speaker. He is a 3x TEDx speaker and has delivered over 350 keynotes in 70+ countries.

After studying medicine at King’s College Hospital Medical School, London, he completed his surgical training in London. He was appointed as a laparoscopic colorectal surgeon specialising in colorectal cancer at The Royal London and St Bartholomew’s Hospitals.

He was an elected member of the council at The Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2014, where he led the Global Health and International Surgical Training Programmes. He was also Associate Dean at Barts Medical School.

He is currently senior partner at Purpose Tech Capital, a VC investing in early-stage health tech start-ups across Europe and recently launched his book INTELLIGENT: The Evolution of AI Transforming Healthcare.

He has been called the "world's most watched surgeon", having streamed live operations using augmented and virtual reality

As an innovator and serial entrepreneur, he has co-founded and built a number of companies from start-up to exit. He founded the Webit Health summit in Bulgaria and co-founded the GIANT Health summit in London, bringing together a community of 350,000 innovators/entrepreneurs. He has been one of the top 20 global influencers in AI, digital health and innovation. He currently chairs the International advisory board at Quadrivia, Vitvio, Aman Ventures and is a Non-Executive director of The Considered and HUM2N. He founded the Surgery International online platform, connecting 30,000 surgeons from over 150 countries and launched The Leaders Summit at the Surgeon Show in 2026.

He is Professor of Strategic Innovation at Bolton University, Honorary Professor of Practice at UCL Global Business School for Health and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. His teaching areas are exponential technologies, including AI, the future of healthcare, digital health, innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation. He leads the executive education programme for UCL Business School. He is also a faculty member at Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa, and has also been a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Singularity University.

He has received multiple professorships and honorary doctorates and was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2020 for his humanitarian work in Gaza and West Bank for over a decade. In 2016, he was awarded the Silver Scalpel award for the best trainer in surgery.  In 2017, he was the top British Asian star in Tech. He was also the British Bangladeshi of the Year 2017.  In 2018, he was awarded the Future NHS award for NHS70 by Members of Parliament.

The Shafi Ahmed Foundation International advocates for equality and humanitarian projects. This foundation aims to provide relief and aid to those in need whilst promoting access to medical training.

Professor Helen Heneghan is a Consultant Bariatric and General Surgeon at St Vincent’s University Hospital and Professor of Surgery at University College Dublin. A graduate of the University of Galway, Helen completed her basic surgical training in Galway University Hospital in 2008 and was awarded a PhD in molecular expression of breast cancer and obesity from the University of Galway in 2012. She completed the RCSI Higher Surgical Training scheme in General Surgery and during her training, she spent two years in the Bariatric Metabolic Institute in Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. Helen completed her training with a Bariatric Fellowship in the UK. She has co-authored 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has written 5 book chapters on the topics of bariatric and endocrine surgery. She is the surgical lead for the National Clinical Programme for Obesity. She is co-founder and President of the newly established Society for Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Ireland (SOMSI) and Council member of the British Obesity and Metabolic Specialists Society.

Take part in a Groundbreaking Advance in Surgical Innovation – the First Nationwide Remote Telesurgery Training Event for Surgical Trainees at the 51st Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium at the University of Galway on Friday, 4 September 2026.

In collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and supported by Cornerstone Robotics UK, this unique initiative offers Surgeons and Trainees an opportunity to step into the future of surgery. Participants will gain hands-on experience through dedicated telesurgery sessions using the Sentire Surgical System, remotely operating robotic arms located in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Robotic Surgery Training and Research Centre at 26 York Street, Dublin.

This is a valuable opportunity to engage with next-generation surgical technology in a live training environment, connect with Experts in the field and expand your skillset in robotic and remote surgery.

Secure your place by registering for the Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium at freyer.ie.

For queries, contact roboticsurgery@rcsi.ie.

Meeting Downloads

About the Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture

The Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture & Surgical Symposium is hosted annually on the first weekend of September by the Department of Surgery, University of Galway. Professor Sean O’Beirn established this conference in 1975 and was succeeded by Professor HF Given. It is currently hosted by Professors Oliver McAnena and Michael Kerin.

It is the largest surgical conference in Ireland and is open to all surgical disciplines both nationally and internationally.

The Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture & Surgical Symposium provides a platform for healthcare professionals to present their research and clinical work and allows for the merging of both scientific and clinical information. Abstracts are published in a supplement to the Irish Journal of Medical Science.