School welcomes new Dean of Medicine, Prof. Deborah Williamson, as Prof. David Crossman retires
The School was delighted to welcome Prof. Deborah Williamson as our new Dean of Medicine and Head of School on 1 February. Prof. Williamson came to St Andrews in April 2024 as a Professor in Medicine while also serving as the Head of Public Health Microbiology for Public Health Scotland. She has held strategic leadership roles in academia and public health agencies across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to her new role.
A clinician-scientist, Prof. Williamson has a global network of collaborators and over 300 publications and remains actively engaged in clinical and public health service. Her research on the development and application of innovative technologies, particularly genomics, to address infectious diseases has attracted significant research funding. Her work has also been recognised with awards such as the L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship. Professor Williamson has a strong clinical and public health background in microbiology and virology and remains actively engaged in clinical and public health service.
“We have a remarkable 600-year history of teaching medicine here at St Andrews, and I look forward to collaboratively building on this legacy with while shaping a future that is innovative, inclusive, and impactful,” said Prof. Williamson.
“I would also like to acknowledge the tremendous work of my predecessor, Professor David Crossman CBE, whose vision and leadership has firmly established our School as a thriving place to study and work.”
Prof. Crossman served as Dean of Medicine and Head of School from 2014 to January 2025, overseeing several key milestones in the School’s recent history. These include the recent launch of the School’s new 5-year MBChB programme (ScotCOM), the strengthening of the University’s relationships with NHS Fife and the Scottish Government, and the School’s achievement of an Athena Swan Silver Award in 2023. Prof. Crossman’s tenure also saw the establishment of the School’s four Research Divisions in 2017 and steady improvement of its Research Excellence Framework (REF) results.
From 2017-2022, Prof. Crossman also held the seconded post of Chief Scientist for Health, advising on health matters and clinical research funded by the Scottish Government with an emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to public health in Scotland.
We thank Prof. Crossman, now an Emeritus Professor, for his remarkable dedication to the School of Medicine and many contributions to its growth and development over the past 11 years. We look forward to advancing his achievements under the leadership of Prof. Williamson.