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. 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 + Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine 1907–2000Years in office Name Notes Image1907–1910 Sir William Selby Church, 1st Baronet First president of the RSM in 1907, Church had chaired the preceding two years of negotiations to form the RSM. 1910–1912 Sir Henry Morris, 1st Baronet 1912–1914 Sir Francis Champneys Obstetrician, elected president in 1912, and in the same year supported Sir William Osler in the founding of the History of Medicine Section. 1914–1916 Sir Frederick Taylor, 1st Baronet 1916–1918 Sir Rickman Godlee 1918–1920 Sir Humphry Rolleston 1920–1922 Sir John Bland-Sutton 1922–1924 Sir William Hale-White 1924–1926 St Clair Thomson 1926–1928 Sir James Berry 1928–1930 Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn 1930–1932 Thomas Watts-Eden 1932–1934 Vincent Warren Low 1934–1936 Sir Robert Hutchison, 1st Baronet 1936–1938 Sir John Herbert Parsons 1938–1940 Sir William Girling Ball 1940–1942 Sir Archibald Montague Henry Gray Gray was a dermatologist who in 1913 became secretary to the dermatology section at the RSM. Between 1920 and 1924 he was the RSM's honorary secretary, and subsequently was appointed honorary treasurer. 1942–1944 Sir Henry Letheby Tidy 1944–1946 Sir Gordon Gordon-Taylor 1946–1948 Sir Maurice Cassidy 1948–1950 Sir Henry Hallett Dale 1950–1952 Alfred Webb-Johnson, 1st Baron Webb-Johnson 1952–1954 Sir Francis Walshe 1954–1956 Sir William Gilliatt 1956–1958 Sir Clement Price Thomas 1958–1960 Sir Geoffrey Marshall 1960–1962 Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian 1962–1964 Sir Terence Cawthorne 1964–1966 Henry Cohen, 1st Baron Cohen of Birkenhead 1966–1967 Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt 1967–1969 Sir Hector MacLennan 1969–1971 Sir John Samuel Richardson 1971–1973 Sir Hedley Atkins 1973–1975 Sir John Stallworthy 1975–1977, 1978 (acting) Sir Gordon Wolstenholme 1977–1978 Sir John Vivian Dacie 1978–1980 Sir Rodney Smith, Baron Smith 1980–1982 Sir John Stallworthy 1982–1984 Sir James Watt 1984–1986 John Walton, Baron Walton of Detchant 1986–1988 Sir Gordon Robson 1988–1990 Sir Christopher Booth 1990–1992 Sir David Innes Williams 1992–1994 Sir George Pinker 1994–1996 Sir Donald Harrison 1996–1998 Sir Christopher Paine 1998–2000 Lord Soulsby of Swaffham
2000–2026 + Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine 2000–2023Years in officeNameNotesImage2000–2002 Dame Deirdre Hine 2002–2004 Sir Barry Jackson 2004–2006 Sir John Lilleyman 2006–2008 Ilora Finlay, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff 2008–2010 Robin C. N. Williamson 2010–2012 Dame Parveen Kumar 2012–2014 Sir Michael Rawlins 2014–2017 Babulal Sethia 2017–2020Sir Simon Wessely 2020–2024 Roger Kirby 2024- Gillian Leng4th female president and 109th overall.
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