Top row, l-r: Lorna Marson, Julie Jacko, Sarah Walmsley. Bottom row, l-r: Mohini Gray, Liz Baggs, Gill Aitken, Sue Fletcher-Watson
Seven new academic deans have been appointed as part of the modernisation process to help deliver our collective ambitions in research and teaching. The deans will work in partnership with professional services teams to define strategy and to plan projects in their area of expertise. All appointments are for five years and will begin later in summer 2024.
The full dean portfolios are being finalised and the final scope of each role will be shared in due course. In addition to existing deputy dean roles, there are likely to be new deputy dean roles in the future structure. All vacancies will be advertised.
Dean of Clinical Medicine: Professor Lorna Marson
Lorna Marson is Professor of Transplant Surgery at the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Lorna held a Clinician Scientist Award from the Academy of Medical Sciences/ Health Foundation from 2003-2008, and continues to work in clinically relevant research in renal transplantation, with translation of a novel agent from bench to bedside. Lorna has held senior positions in postgraduate and undergraduate education.
She strives to support trainees in transplantation as they navigate their way through potentially conflicting roles in and out of work. She undertook much of her own surgical training working less than full time with young children at home.
Lorna is Past-President of the British Transplantation Society, and was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of NHS Blood and Transplant in March 2024. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
As Dean of Clinical Medicine Lorna will provide leadership for clinical academic training. She is responsible for our relationship with NHS Lothian and other NHS partners and our shared links in teaching and clinical training.
Dean of Innovation and Engagement: Professor Julie Jacko
Professor Julie Anne Jacko is the Chair of Health Informatics and Data Science and Interim Director of the Usher Institute, at the University of Edinburgh. She is a leader, innovator, and entrepreneur, who creates and applies engineering-derived solutions to high-impact domains such as population health, health IT, and manufacturing of devices and systems that improve human health. She is passionately committed to addressing historic health inequities for communities of colour, marginalised populations and low-resourced communities.
Julie has a career lifetime total exceeding $30 million in externally-funded research as either principal investigator or co-principal investigator. She was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honour awarded to young research investigators by the U.S. government. Numerous awards since have positioned her at the forefront of her field.
As College Dean of Innovation and Engagement, Julie will lead on strategy for innovation, engagement and related partnerships across the breadth of College interests. She will strengthen the College’s engagement with industry, the NHS, Scottish and UK Governments, and public, private and third sector organisations with the aim of increasing the College’s potential to deliver positive impact locally, nationally and internationally.
Dean of Medical Research: Professor Sarah Walmsley
Professor Sarah Walmsley is Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Honorary Consultant Physician, NHS Lothian and a Director of the Edinburgh Clinical Academic Training Scheme. She undertook her medical training at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1997, and an MRC training fellowship at the University of Cambridge with award of PhD in 2004.
Her specialist training in Respiratory Medicine was in Sheffield, where she also held a Wellcome Intermediate Fellowship, prior to her move to Edinburgh as a Wellcome Senior Clinical Fellow. She is currently based in the Centre for Inflammation Research in the Institute for Regeneration and Repair in Edinburgh. Her research is focused on understanding how local oxygen and nutrient availability in the inflamed environment can reprogram neutrophil behaviour in both acute and chronic inflammatory lung disease.
As Dean of Medical Research, Sarah will provide strategic vision and academic leadership for medical research in the College. All of the deans will work together to contribute to a positive and inclusive research and teaching culture.
Dean of Students and Alumni: Professor Mohini Gray
For more than two decades, Professor Mohini Gray has served as an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist for the NHS, juggling her responsibilities with significant teaching roles and innovative research. She has significantly improved scientific and medical education, most recently by creating a patient-focused website (EdRheum.org) and investigating the University of Edinburgh’s degree-awarding gap for minority ethnic students.
Recognised for her studies on auto-immunity, her contributions have resulted in a progression in the understanding of auto-immune diseases. In her role as Edinburgh Medical School’s equality, diversity and inclusion lead, she has led efforts to assist widening participation students, decolonise the curriculum, and enhance reporting protocols and support for students that face discrimination.
As the new Dean of Students and Alumni, Mohini will be dedicated to improving academic experience for all students, ensure provision of high-quality pastoral support and academic guidance and creating a welcoming and inclusive campus community.
Dean of Research: Professor Liz Baggs
Professor Liz Baggs is a soil biogeochemist and Chair of Food and Environmental Security. She undertook her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, and returned seven years ago to help establish the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems as its Deputy Director.
In between, she held a lectureship and BBSRC Wain Research Fellowship at Imperial College, a NERC Advanced Fellowship and the Established Chair of Soil Science at the University of Aberdeen. She was Head of School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen for five years before returning to Edinburgh.
For the past two years, Liz she has been CMVM Deputy Dean of Research for Strategic Change, working across the College and University on research and operational initiatives. Liz has various current and previous strategic leadership and advisory roles for higher education and research, including with UKRI, governments, and international research organisations and funders.
As Dean of Research, Liz will provide strategic vision and academic leadership for all areas of research and co-ordinate academic management of research for the College as a whole. She will lead research initiatives to maintain and enhance excellence and the impact of College research.
Dean of Education: Professor Gill Aitken
Professor Gill Aitken is the epitome of a lifelong learner. She left school at 16 and had a variety of jobs before training as a dietitian. After many years working in a variety of settings in the NHS, her love of teaching prompted a move to a more academic role.
She has considerable experience in undergraduate education gained in many Scottish institutions and has a good understanding of the wider sector. She is Director of Postgraduate Education in Edinburgh Medical School where her teaching is focused on online postgraduate education. Gill’s PhD explored the pedagogy of this exciting and innovative form of education. She will continue to teach and to supervise masters and doctoral students.
As Dean of Education, Gill will provide strategic vision and academic leadership for all matters relating to student education in the College, including strategy related to learning, teaching, assessment and curriculum design across all modes of delivery.
Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Community: Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson
Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson holds a Personal Chair in Developmental Psychology in the Division of Psychiatry and is Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre.
Sue is interested in how children grow and learn, with a particular focus on development and neurodiversity. Her work draws on rigorous methods from psychology and applies these to questions with clinical, educational and societal impact. She strives to achieve meaningful partnerships with community representatives and to support neurodivergent research leadership. She is an advocate for open science and good citizenship in research.
In her new role as Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Community, Sue will provide leadership for all areas of staff and student experience and work to create a collegiate culture that allows all of our staff and students to flourish.
