Dr Sarah Mills appointed as Clinical Teacher
Dr Sarah Mills, alumna of the School of Medicine (2007), has returned to the School as a Clinical Teacher. Currently a four-session GP Partner in Bank Street Medical Practice in Cupar where she is involved with medical student teaching and GP training, Dr Mills is delighted to join the School as a clinical academic.
Dr Mills’ interest in a career in clinical academic medicine began early in her medical studies when a university lecturer invited first year students to participate in research on a clinical trial project. Dr Mills stated that, “the idea of being a clinician that teaches and carries out research hadn’t occurred to me before and seemed an ideal career path.” This ambition led Sarah to continue her medical degree at Cambridge, which is renowned for clinical academic medicine. While at Cambridge, Dr Mills dabbled in Cambridge’s famous pastime, and joined the Medics’ Rowing Team.
Dr Mills returned to Scotland to complete her Academic General Practice Training through a Scottish Clinical Research Excellence Development Scheme (SCREDS) Clinical Lectureship in East Scotland in 2016, and an Academic Foundation Programme in South East Scotland in 2012. Dr Mills previously held a CSO-funded Academic Clinical Fellowship in General Practice at the University of Dundee. She completed her PhD in 2021 with a research dissertation ‘Use of unscheduled care by people who die from cancer’.
Dr Mills studied in the former medical school site in the Bute Building on Queen’s Terrace and said “I thought I was going to miss the Bute building until I saw the view from my office,” the School of Medicine is now based in the North Haugh and many of the academic offices have views of the West Sands and St Andrews Links courses.
Dr Mills has spoken of her delight to be joining the School as a member of staff, stating “it’s so important to have GPs teaching clinical skills in the medical school, as this is something that has traditionally been hospital based.”