Alan Horgan graduated from University College Cork in 1988.

Following Basic Surgical Training, he completed his MD in Surgical Immunology at Harvard Medical School.

Higher Surgical Training was undertaken in the West of Scotland Rotation following which he spent a year as Clinical Fellow in Colorectal Surgery at The Mayo Clinic.

He was appointed as Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle in 1999.

He has since Co-founded and is co-director of the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre and the Newcastle Translational Research Unit.

He has concentrated his clinical and research efforts on Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery and Enhancing Recovery after Colorectal Surgery and in 2009 was appointed National Clinical Lead for the Dept. of Health's Enhanced Recovery Programme.

Director of the NSTC & Health Education Surgical Skills Training Programme (SSTP) & NSTC SuppoRTT Programme