Welcome to Women in Medicine in Ireland Network
It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the passing of our Founder and Board Member, Dr. Sarah Fitzgibbon.
Dr. Sarah Fitzgibbon founded Women in Medicine in Ireland Network (WiMIN) in December 2017 and organised our first conference in Dublin in September 2018. Since then, she oversaw the growth of the organisation as Chair until end of 2025. She was elected as Regional Vice President for Northern Europe for Medical Women International Association in November 2025. She was a member of the Deep End Ireland group, which advocates for improved primary care services for people living in areas of deprivation. She was also the Primary Care Clinical Advisor with CervicalCheck, the national cervical screening programme in Ireland. She was a member of the Patient Liaison Group of the Association of Coloproctologists of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) She was also an author, including her blog, “Adventures of a Sick Doctor” - which recounted her 12 year battle with Stage 4 cancer - and regular contributions to the Medical Independent. She advocated for kind, effective and efficient healthcare for all people in Ireland, particularly those who are marginalised.
Many of us remember her for reasons beyond her remarkable accomplishments: a wonderful colleague, advocate, friend, doctor, and mentor.
Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to her family and friends during this time.
Suaimhneas síoraí dá hanam
The Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon Lecture 2025
The Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon Lecture took place in the Albert Theatre, RCSI, on September 19th 2025.
Prof Suzanne Crowe delivered this year’s lecture, entitled “Failure: Cat o’ Nine Tails or Cat o’ Pult”, in which she humbly described how some of the setbacks in her own career turned out to be key turning points in bringing her to where she is now. She spoke about how Plan B can sometimes actually work out much better than Plan A. She also explored how what drives us can determine our commitment to our careers, and made the point that intrinsic motivation puts a fire in your belly that is much harder to put out than any external motivation can ever create.