Erin top of class with General Surgery medal

Erin top of class with General Surgery medal

29 November 2023

A KILLYLEAGH woman has been presented with the prestigious Teasdale Medal from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Erin Mcllveen received the award for her outstanding performance in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) General Surgery examination.

The medal is awarded for the highest score in section two of the General Surgery Intercollegiate Board Exam by a candidate from the Glasgow-based college. 

The exam is the final hurdle in the long and complex path for general surgery trainees.

“This award was totally unexpected as there are so many other talented trainees,” Erin said. “It is a great achievement which I am so proud of.”

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is the UK’s only multidisciplinary royal college, with almost 16,000 members in the UK and around the world.

“The fact it is multi-disciplinary gives everyone the opportunity to become familiar with a diverse range of specialities, as well as your own speciality,” Erin explained.

“I have been part of the college since I was a foundation doctor and it has provided me with a wide range of courses to boost my professional career over the last 14 years, for which I am very grateful.”

Erin is specialising in colorectal surgery at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital. She gained her medical degree from the University of Glasgow, and continued her training in the west of Scotland, completing both the MRCS and FRCS with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

She holds an MD and PgCert Health Professionals Education from the University of Glasgow and has a MSc from the University of Edinburgh.

The medal is named after Professor Sir Graham Teasdale, a past president of the college who co-developed the internationally renowned Glasgow Coma Scale as a way to communicate about the level of consciousness of patients with acute brain injuries.

College president, Mike McKirdy said: “It is a great honour to present Erin with the Teasdale Medal today.

“Having known her early on in her surgical training, this is very well-deserved.

“I have no doubt that this is only the beginning of a brilliant career as a consultant and her outstanding achievement in the FRCS exam is a testament to her hard work, knowledge and ability.”