Mike O’Brien was appointed Chief of Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2013.

Born and raised in West Cork in Ireland, Mike went to medical school at University College Cork, graduating in 1989. He completed his adult general surgical training in Cork before undertaking PhD research.

Moving to the UK to train in Paediatric Surgery, Mike worked at Great Ormond Street and Hammersmith Hospitals in London, University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, Bristol Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Mike also spent a year in Melbourne at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), before returning to the UK where he worked as a Consultant Paediatric Urologist in Birmingham.

Mike returned to the Royal Children’s Hospital as a Consultant Paediatric Urologist in 2005 and has been Head of Department of Urology since 2009, and Chief of Surgery since 2013.

As well as his clinical role with a specific interest in genital anomalies and functional bladder issues, Mike has sat on the hospital research ethics committee for more than 10 years. He is also an active educator and the Medical Ambassador to the Clown Doctors.