Elections to find a new president for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) take place later this week.
The position has been vacant since the resignation earlier this year of Dr John Murphy after he was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Medical Council.
He had been one of three consultant obstetricians who provided reports in 1998 which exonerated the practice of Dr Michael Neary after examining a number of cases of Caesarean hysterectomies carried out by Dr Neary at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
Three candidates are now seeking election to the position from which he resigned.
They are Dr John Donohoe, consultant nephrologist and transplant physician at Beaumont and the Mater hospitals in Dublin; Dr Kathleen (Kate) McGarry, consultant physician, acute general medicine, Navan Hospital; and Dr Frank Murray, a consultant gastroenterologist at Beaumont Hospital.
The election for the presidency takes place on Friday and balloting will take place simultaneously in four locations at 5.30pm. These are at the Ramada Hotel, Belfast; the Kingsley Hotel, Cork; at the RCPI, Kildare Street, Dublin; and the Ardilaun House Hotel, Galway.
About 1,500 fellows of the RCPI are eligible to vote and fellows must present in person to cast their ballots.
The result will be announced on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Dr Murphy is challenging the Medical Council's finding against him and his case is due to be heard in the High Court later this month.