Laura Viani

Laura G. Viani is an Irish otolaryngologist and neurotologist who established Ireland's first national cochlear implant program in 1995 and has performed over 2,000 cochlear implant surgeries. She served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) from 2022 to 2024. A specialist in neuro-otology and skull base surgery, she established a multi-institutional Hearing Research Centre to foster collaboration between hospitals and universities.

Education Viani attended medical school at Trinity College Dublin, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of the Art of Obstetrics (BA, BCH, BAO). She also completed a Diploma in Micro-vascular and Micro-neural Anastomosis with dissection of free flaps (DMMD). After graduating, she pursued postgraduate training in otolaryngology in Dublin, Manchester, and Liverpool. Viani later undertook further specialized fellowships in skull base surgery in Cambridge, and in neuro-otology in Zurich. For 14 years, until 2009, she was the only surgeon performing the procedure in the country. She has performed over 2,000 cochlear implants on both children and adults. On June 7, 2022, she was officially elected president, succeeding Ronan O'Connell. Her election alongside Deborah McNamara as vice-president was a historic first for the RCSI, marking the first time a woman held both the president and vice-president roles simultaneously. She served a two-year term from 2022 to 2024, becoming only the second female president in the institution's history.

During her presidency, in October 2022, Viani was awarded an honorary fellowship in the American College of Surgeons. On December 5, 2023, she received the 'Outstanding Contribution to Healthcare' award at the Irish Healthcare Awards in Dublin.

Personal life Viani has a son named Dylan.