Key roles
Dean of Medicine and Head of School
Professor Deborah Williamson
Professor Williamson is the Dean of Medicine and Head of the School of Medicine. She has held strategic leadership roles in academia and public health agencies in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. A clinician-scientist with a strong public health background in microbiology and virology, Professor Williamson has a global network of collaborators and over 300 journal publications. As Dean, she brings a wealth of leadership experience and commitment to advancing medical education and research.
- Email:
- medical.dean@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 46 3502
- Biography:
- Full biography
Deputy Head of School (MBChB Programmes)
Dr Rebecca Walmsley
Dr Rebecca Walmsley was appointed as the Clinical Lead for the BSc Honours Medicine programme in 2016 and the BSc Course Director in 2020. In the role of BSc Programme Director, she is responsible for overseeing the BSc Hons Medicine programme. Dr Walmsley graduated from the University of Nottingham with MBChB in 2002 and progressed to GP training on the Oxford VTS. In addition to her role at the university, Dr Walmsley is a GP in Fife.
- Email:
- ram29@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 463540
- Biography:
- Full biography
Deputy Head of School (Clinical Academic Development and External Engagement)
Dr Phil Walmsley
Dr Phil Walmsley is the Deputy Head of the Medical School for Clinical Academic Development and External Engagement. He oversees expansion of the clinical and scientific workforce as well as strengthening external partnerships with NHS, research funders and policy bodies. He has a background in clinical research and medical education with a research programme which involves MSK infection, lower limb arthroplasty and use of technology in healthcare. In addition to his role at the university, Dr Walmsley is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in NHS
- Email:
- pw38@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 463599
- Biography:
- Full biography
Programme Director - Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM)
Dr Fiona Graham
Dr Fiona Graham is the Programme Director for Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM). As Director of Medical Education at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, she oversaw the introduction and development of ScotGEM in this rural partner health board. A GP by background, she has also worked in senior positions in palliative medicine and orthogeriatrics and has been a GP trainer and Senior Lecturer in General Practice.
- Email:
- fg53@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- Biography:
- Full biography
Director of Research
Professor Nicholas Feasey
Professor Feasey is the Director of Research and Sir James Black Chair of Medicine. He is an Infectious Diseases physician and clinical microbiologist who joined the School in August 2023 from the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme in Balantyre, Malawi. His research is focused on the surveillance and management of antimicrobial resistant bacterial infection and taking a one-health approach to exploring the transmission of enteric pathogens associated with invasive disease.
- Email:
- naf6@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- Biography:
- Full biography
Director of Teaching
Dr Rachel Davies
Dr Davies is the Director of Teaching for the School.
She is responsible for leading the development of strategy and policy for all learning, teaching and assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes in the School of Medicine.
- Email:
- medicaldot@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 461883
- Biography:
- Full biography
Director of Admissions
Dr Sandhya Duggal
Dr Duggal is the Director of Admissions, responsible for overseeing the admissions process for the School of Medicine. She is also a Lecturer in Medical Sociology and Communication Skills, and serves as the module controller for MD2001. Her research focuses on innovation in communication skills and prevention within adult social care.
- Email:
- sd311@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- Biography:
- Full biography
School Manager
Ms Joy Candlish
Ms Candlish is the School Manager and oversees all aspects of the School’s support functions; strategic planning, leadership of the Professional Services staff, governance of the School and the students, information management and fitness to practise matters. Joy holds a Master of Business Administration and Certificate of Governance and has held management roles in Higher Education and not for profit organisations in New Zealand, Australia and Scotland.
- Email:
- medschoolmanager@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
Director of Postgraduate Research Studies (Admissions, Recruitment and Examination)
Dr Morag Mansley
Dr Morag Mansley is co-Director of Postgraduate Research Studies (Admissions, Recruitment and Examination) and a Lecturer within the School’s Cellular Medicine Research Division. Dr Mansley is a physiologist specialising in epithelial ion transport, and her research programme focuses on the hormonal regulation of ion transport processes in the kidney, providing mechanistic insight into fluid and electrolyte homeostasis and the pathophysiology of hypertension and related disorders.
- Email:
- medicaldopg@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 464265
- Biography:
- Full biography
Director of Postgraduate Research Studies (Student Experience and Progression)
Dr Cicely Macnamara
Dr Cicely Macnamara is co-Director of Postgraduate Research Studies (Student Experience and Progression) and Lecturer in Medical Statistics within the School’s Population and Behavioural Science division. She also provides statistical and data analysis support across all divisions. Since joining the School in January 2025, after work in mathematical and computational oncology, her research has focused on data analysis, particularly using electronic health data in women’s and maternal health.
- Email:
- medicaldopg@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- Biography:
- Full biography
Director of Postgraduate Teaching
Dr Veronica O'Carroll
Dr Veronica O’Carroll is the Director of Post Graduate Teaching and Programme Director for the Masters in Health Professions Education Programme. Her research interests include interprofessional education and collaborative practice and how these impact on health and social care. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Interprofessional Care.
- Email:
- medicaldopgt@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 463011
- Biography:
- Full biography
Director of Inclusion
Dr John Winpenny
Dr Winpenny is the School’s Director of Inclusion. He leads on School wide equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and helps implement the University’s policies and initiatives as part of the Diverse strand of the University Strategic plan (2018-2023). He joined the School in 2020 as a Senior Lecturer (Education Focused). He is passionate about widening access to medicine - an important part of the Inclusion portfolio.
- Email:
- jpw21@st.andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 463573
- Biography:
- Full biography
Head of Division - Cellular Medicine
Dr Alan Stewart
Alan Stewart is Head of the Cellular Medicine Division and a Reader in Molecular Medicine. He also serves as Deputy Chair of the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA). A biochemist by training, his research centres on metal–protein interactions and their roles in human disease. His work integrates molecular, cellular, and translational approaches to uncover how metal ions influence key processes in thrombosis, inflammation, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
- Email:
- ajs21@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 463546
- Biography:
- Full biography
Head of Division - Education
Dr Andrew O’Malley
Dr O’Malley is the Head of the Education Division and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine. He also serves as the Deputy Programme Director for the Scottish Graduate Entry Medical Programme (ScotGEM). An anatomist and forensic anthropologist by training, his research focuses on technology-enhanced learning and the application of generative artificial intelligence in medical education. He leads the SimPatient project, an AI-powered platform for clinical simulation, and has an established record of peer-reviewed publications.
- Email:
- aso2@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 462196
- Biography:
- Full biography
Head of Division - Infection and Global Health
Dr Jaclyn Pearson
Dr Pearson a lecturer in the School's Infection and Global Health Division. She is a microbiologist by training and joined the School in January 2024 from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, where she headed the Host-Pathogen Interactions Research Group. The major focus of Dr Pearson's research is understanding host-pathogen interactions mediated by highly drug resistant bacterial gut pathogens.
Full biography
- Email:
- jp287@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- Biography:
- Full biography
Head of Division - Population and Behavioural Science
Professor Colin McCowan
Colin McCowan is the Head of the Population and Behavioural Science Division. He was appointed as Professor in Health Data Science in January 2019 at the University of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and is an Honorary Professor within the Institute of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. He has research interests in the use of existing routine data within epidemiological studies and in the support of clinical trials and other research methods.
- Email:
- cm434@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 46 3481
- Biography:
- Full biography
Pro Dean (Student Support)
Dr Kerri Greene
Dr Greene is the Pro Dean (Student Support). In this role she leads the medical student support team, which oversees all academic and pastoral affairs of all undergraduate BSc and ScotGEM students in the School. Dr Greene graduated from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and completed her clinical training at The University of Edinburgh, where she obtained her MBChB. Dr Greene completed her postgraduate medical training in South East Scotland. In addition to her roles as Pro Dean and Clinical Lecturer at the university, she continues to work clinically as a GP.
- Email:
- klg3@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 01334 461888
- Biography:
- Full biography