Prof Deborah Williamson
Dean of Medicine & Head of School
Professor of Medicine
Research areas
Professor Williamson is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Head of the School of Medicine. She has held strategic leadership roles in academia and public health agencies across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. She is a clinician-scientist with a global network of collaborators and over 300 journal publications. Her work has attracted significant research funding and has been recognised with awards such as the L'Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship.
Her research focuses on the development and application of innovative technologies, particularly genomics, to address infectious diseases. Professor Williamson has a strong clinical and public health background in microbiology and virology and remains actively engaged in clinical and public health service.
Returning to Scotland in 2024, Professor Williamson joined the University of St Andrews, combining her leadership experience with a commitment to advancing medical education and research. As Dean of Medicine, she brings a wealth of leadership experience, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to improving the health and well-being of populations, both locally and globally.
PhD supervision
- Muge Cevik
- Sally Forrest
Selected publications
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Open access
Salmonella pathogenicity islands in the genomic era
Sia, C. M., Pearson, J. S., Howden, B. P., Williamson, D. A. & Ingle, D. J., 9 Apr 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Trends in Microbiology. In Press, 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Open access
Alternative treponemal serology assays for diagnosis and confirmation of syphilis in a diagnostic laboratory: a retrospective evaluation of four agglutination assays and one ELISA
Williams, E., Karapanagiotidis, T., Nicholson, S., Toma, H., Vo, K. L., Douros, C., Azzato, F., Edler, P., Graham, M., Towns, J. M., Chen, M. Y., Lim, C. K. & Williamson, D. A., 9 May 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Ahead Print, p. 1-14 14 p., e0176824.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Establishing quality assurance for COVID-19 antigen tests in the Indo Pacific Region: a multi-site implementation study
Prestedge, J., Ninan, M., Phoeung, C. L., Seang, K., Young, G., Khamphaphongphane, B., Norchaleun, B., Toliman, P. J., Cabuang, L., Saphonn, V., Markby, J., Ridley, K., Vallely, A., Cunningham, P. & Williamson, D. A., Mar 2025, In: Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease. 111, 3, p. 1-8 8 p., 116677.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Increased SARS-CoV-2 IgG4 has variable consequences dependent upon Fc function, Fc receptor polymorphism, and viral variant
Aurelia, L. C., Purcell, R. A., Theisen, R. M., Kelly, A., Esterbauer, R., Ramanathan, P., Lee, W. S., Wines, B. D., Hogarth, P. M., Juno, J. A., Allen, L. F., Bond, K. A., Williamson, D. A., Trevillyan, J. M., Trubiano, J. A., Nguyen, T. H., Kedzierska, K., Wheatley, A. K., Kent, S. J. & Arnold, K. B. & 2 others, , 28 Feb 2025, In: Science Advances. 11, 9, 14 p., eads1482.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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New challenges for HIV testing in the setting of long-acting cabotegravir pre-exposure prophylaxis
Williams, E., Chibo, D., D'Costa, J., Nicholson, S., Jackson, K., Lim, C. K. & Williamson, D. A., Feb 2025, In: Pathology. 57, 1, p. 105-107 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
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Open access
PathoGD: an integrative genomics approach to primer and guide RNA design for CRISPR-based diagnostics
Low, S. J., O'Neill, M., Kerry, W. J., Wild, N., Krysiak, M., Nong, Y., Azzato, F., Hor, E., Williams, L., Taiaroa, G., Steinig, E., Pasricha, S. & Williamson, D. A., 30 Jan 2025, In: Communications Biology. 8, p. 1-13 13 p., 147.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Piloting an external quality assurance program (QAP) for COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs): findings and lessons learned from Cambodia
Phoeung, C. L., Prestedge, J., Ninan, M., Cunningham, P., Bory, S., Seang, K., Heng, K., Williamson, D., Markby, J., Valley, A., Kaldor, J. & Saphonn, V., Jan 2025, In: BMJ Open Quality. 14, 8 p., e002999.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Rationale and ethical assessment of an oropharyngeal gonorrhoea controlled human infection model
Williams, E., Hocking, J. S., Fairley, C. K., Chen, M. Y., Williamson, D. A., McCarthy, J. S. & Jamrozik, E., 15 Apr 2025, In: Journal of Infectious Diseases. 231, 4, p. 841-848 8 p., jiaf029.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Regulation and governance for the implementation and management of point-of-care testing in Australia: a scoping review
Prestedge, J., Kaufman, C. & Williamson, D. A., 24 Feb 2025, In: BMC Public Health. 25, 14 p., 758.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Neisseria gonorrhoeae vaccines: a contemporary overview
Williams, E., Seib, K. L., Fairley, C. K., Pollock, G. L., Hocking, J. S., McCarthy, J. S. & Williamson, D. A., 14 Mar 2024, In: Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 37, 1, 44 p., e0009423.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review