UKHSA Appoints New Chief Medical Advisor and CSO
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has appointed Dr. Gail Carson as Chief Medical Advisor and confirmed Professor Robin May as the permanent Chief Scientific Officer. Both appointees bring extensive experience in infectious disease research and global outbreak response.
Why it matters
Leadership changes in national health agencies are vital for public health preparedness and the management of future disease threats.
Dr Carson, who is currently director of network development for the international clinical research network at the University of Oxford, has had a distinguished and wide-ranging career working with WHO on diseases including Ebola, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, H1N1, SARS and H5N1.Professor May has been the interim CSO at UKHSA since September 2025. He is also Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham and was previously chief scientific advisor at the Food Standards Agency.
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