List of presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine explained

The president of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is the head of the Royal Society of Medicine.

The presidents were elected biennially by the Fellows of the Society.^[1] In 2014 the charter changed. The presidents are now elected every three years.

The president oversees the running of the Society and chairs its council meetings.

List of presidents

1907-2000

Notes !!Image
1907–1910		First president of the RSM in 1907, Church had chaired the preceding two years of negotiations to form the RSM.^[2]
1910–1912
1912–1914		Obstetrician, elected president in 1912, and in the same year supported Sir William Osler in the founding of the History of Medicine Section.^[3]
1914–1916
1916–1918
1918–1920
1920–1922
1922–1924
1924–1926
1926–1928
1928–1930
1930–1932
1932–1934
1934–1936
1936–1938	Sir John Herbert Parsons^[4]
1938–1940	Sir William Girling Ball
1940–1942		Gray was a dermatologist who in 1913 became secretary to the dermatology section at the RSM.^[5] Between 1920 and 1924 he was the RSM's honorary secretary, and subsequently was appointed honorary treasurer.
1942–1944
1944–1946
1946–1948
1948–1950
1950–1952
1952–1954
1954–1956
1956–1958
1958–1960
1960–1962
1962–1964
1964–1966
1966–1967
1967–1969
1969–1971
1971–1973
1973–1975
1975–1977, 1978
1977–1978
1978–1980
1980–1982
1982–1984
1984–1986
1986–1988
1988–1990
1990–1992
1992–1994
1994–1996
1996–1998
1998–2000

2000–2023

Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine 2000–2023!Years in office!!Name!!Notes!!Image
2000–2002
2002–2004	Sir Barry Jackson^[6]
2004–2006	Sir John Lilleyman^[7]
2006–2008	Ilora Finlay, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff^[8]
2008–2010
2010–2012	Dame Parveen Kumar^[9]
2012–2014	Sir Michael Rawlins^[10]
2014–2017
2017–2020	Sir Simon Wessely^[11]
2020–2024	Roger Kirby^[12]
2024-	Gillian Leng^[13]	4th female president and 109th overall.

Notes and References

David . T J . The History of the Royal Society of Medicine . Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine . February 2002 . 95 . 2 . 105–107 . 1279326 . 0141-0768.
P . Hunting . . 2005 . 81 . 951 . 45–48 . 10.1136/pgmj.2003.018424. 1743179 . 15640428.
Book: Hunting, Penelope. The History of The Royal Society of Medicine. https://books.google.com/books?id=hFNrAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA=301. Royal Society of Medicine Press. 2002. 978-1853154973. 8. From anaesthetics to proctology. 301–380.
Web site: Parsons, Sir John Herbert (1868 - 1957) . Royal College of Surgeons. 18 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20230630073346/https://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/client/en_GB/lives/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ASSET$002f0$002fSD_ASSET:377421/one?qu=%22rcs%3A+E005238%22&rt=false%7C%7C%7CIDENTIFIER%7C%7C%7CResource+Identifier. 30 June 2023.
Web site: Gray, Sir Archibald Montague Henry (1880 - 1967) . Livesonline . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 3 July 2023.
October 2002. A President in shirtsleeves. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 95. 10. 518–519. 0141-0768. 1279186. 10.1177/014107680209501016.
10.1136/bmj.332.7536.s50. Professor Sir John Lilleyman. British Medical Journal. Career Focus. 332. 7536. s50. 2006. Sanai. Leyla. 79850091 .
Finlay . Ilora . My working day: Ilora Finlay . Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine . 1 August 2009 . 102 . 8 . 349–351 . 10.1258/jrsm.2009.09k041 . 2726809 . 0141-0768.
Book: Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).: House of Commons official report . 2012 . H.M. Stationery Office . 5 . en.
Web site: Professor Sir Michael Rawlins GBE, Kt . GOV.UK . 1 July 2023 . en.
Book: Kelly . Brendan . https://books.google.com/books?id=B9oDEAAAQBAJpg . Psychiatrist in the Chair: The Official Biography of Anthony Clare . Houston . Muiris . 2020 . Merrion Press . 978-1-78537-331-2 . 76 . en . 3. Writer: psychiatry in dissent (1976).
Kirby . Roger . Legends in Urology . The Canadian Journal of Urology . April 2023 . 30 . 2 . 11459–11461 . 37074742 .
Web site: Professor Gillian Leng CBE vows to “look to the future” as she becomes RSM President . www.rsm.ac.uk . 26 July 2024 . en-gb . 31 July 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240726083114/https://www.rsm.ac.uk/latest-news/2024/professor-gillian-leng-cbe-vows-to-look-to-the-future-as-she-becomes-rsm-president/. 26 July 2024.