J. Calvin Coffey, BSc, MB, PhD, FRCS

Scott R. Steele, MD, MBA, FACS, FASCRS, FPSCRS (Hon.)

Professor J. Calvin Coffey is the Foundation Chair and Professor of Surgery at the University of Limerick Hospital Group (ULHG) and University of Limerick, in Ireland. He was born in Cork City, Ireland. He obtained a BSc in Anatomy in 1995 and an MB in 1998, both from University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. He was awarded a PhD from UCC in 2005. He obtained a Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2009. He is an alumnus of the Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute in the Cleveland Clinic (Ohio), having completed a fellowship in Colorectal Surgery in 2010. After completing surgical training in 2010, he took up his current post as Chair of Surgery. He is currently Head of the Department of Surgery at ULHG.

Since taking up the post he and his team developed the robotic surgical program at ULHG. His operative workload consists of mostly cancer and inflammatory bowel disease-related surgery. His main research focus is on anatomy directly relevant to surgical practice. This research has led to fundamental advances in human anatomy. Their findings have already been integrated in foundation texts (i.e., Gray's Anatomy) and led to the development of novel surgical techniques (in Crohn's disease and malrotation) as well as new approaches in the radiological assessment of the abdomen.

He has received numerous international awards including the James IV Travelling Fellowship and a Distinguished Alumnus Lectureship from the Cleveland Clinic. He has recently received an Alumnus Achievement Award by UCC, in recognition of research on the mesentery. This is one of the highest accolades the university bestows on its alumni. He has delivered several international named lectures and invited lectures. He has authored two surgical texts, published several hundred original articles, and contributed chapters to reference texts.

Professor Coffey is married to Deirdre, and they have three children (now adults) Domhnal, Barra, and Aisling. They live between Limerick city in the mid-west of Ireland and a fishing village in west Cork called Union Hall. In his free time, he enjoys walking, sailing, and even occasionally finding time to rest. On behalf of our readers, I would like to thank him and all the authors on a wonderful volume related to the mesentery.

Publication History

Article published online:
13 April 2022