Expert advice

Research staff from the School of Medicine are providing their expertise during the Covid-19 pandemic to a range of groups, committees and public forums.

The profile picture for Dr Muge Cevic

Dr Muge Cevik

Clinical Fellow

Dr Muge Cevik is a clinical lecturer in infectious diseases and medical virology. During Covid-19 pandemic, alongside working on the front lines of the response, she provides scientific input to the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland on Covid-19 and serves as a member of NERVTAG (New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group) - an expert committee of the UK Department of Health. Alongside her academic work, Dr Cevik developed a strong interest in science communication.

Roles

  • Provides scientific input to the Chief Medical Officer for The Scottish Government and advisory groups on recent scientific developments on Covid-19, also providing summaries to CMOs and DCMOs, in England, Wales and Ireland.
  • Consultancy on risk communication and the EPI-WIN platform which has been newly created to manage the “infodemic” of misinformation circulated around the current pandemic.
  • Working closely with the ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium) to implement Covid-19 related clinical studies in low middle-income countries.
  • Part of the CORRE Network (Covid-19 International Rapid Evidence Reviews Group) working towards providing rapid reviews for governments and the WHO.
  • Part of the infectious diseases team Covid-19 at NHS Lothian.
  • Serves on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG)

 

Profile picture for Professor David Crossman

Prof David Crossman

Dean of Medicine and Head of School

Professor Crossman is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Head of the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews. Professor Crossman is active in clinical practice as an honorary consultant cardiologist at NHS Fife. He is Chair of the MRC/NIHR EME board (Translational medicine) and his research interest is in the pathological basis of myocardial infarction.

Roles

  • Vice Chair of the Scottish Government Covid-19 Advisory Group
  • Chief Scientist, Health for Scotland
  • Covid-19 Weekly NRS Call
  • Chair, Scientific Advisory Board on Testing
  • Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) / UK Research and Innovation(UKRI) Covid-19 Rapid Response Review Panel
  • DACDOT Strategy Testing Group
  • TTIS Operational Board UK
  • Covid-19 Antibody Diagnostics Taskforce
  • CMO Advisory Board

 

Profile picture for Dr Devesh Dhasmana

Dr Devesh Dhasmana

Senior Clinical Lecturer

Dr Dhasmana is a Senior Clinical Lecturer for the School of Medicine and a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine for NHS Fife.

Roles

  • Created the COVID-FASTER Consortium - a group of NHS Fife clinicians and Academics from the School of Medicine tackling the key themes of Covid over the next 12-month period.
  • Supporting the 'Validation of Antibody Test for Covid-19' project led by Prof Rick Randall. 
  • Supporting UK-wide Covid study, ISARIC - observational study looking at developing immunity.
  • Provides advice to the Covid-19 operations group group of the University, including a “Meet the Expert” session for staff and for students. 

 

Profile picture for Prof Stephen Gillespie

Prof Stephen Gillespie

Professor

For the last twenty five years Professor Gillespie has been involved in various aspects of tuberculosis diagnosis and drug development. He has an extensive record of developing novel microbiological diagnostics and has published a number of textbooks in the area of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

Roles

  • Participating in the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) urgent public health NIHR review process.  Reviewing studies being given priority for action in the present emergency notably Covid-19 therapeutic and vaccine research.
  • Provides advice directly to the Chief Science Officer writing papers on diagnostics strategy, sequencing strategy and serological testing strategy.
  • Member of the Serology Strategy Group
  • Providing advice to clinical colleagues performing clinical trials and being available to answer queries from commercial entities wishing to work with the Scottish NHS.
  • Member of the Review Panel for the Office of the Chief Scientist Officer (Medicine), reviewing applications for their urgent response to Covid-19 call.
  • Provides advice to the Covid-19 incident management group of the University, delivering staff engagement through a “Meet the Expert” session for staff and for students.

 

Profile picture for Prof Matt Holden

Prof Matt Holden

Director of Impact

Professor Holden's research is directed at two main areas: translational genomics, the application of WGS in clinical microbiology; and experimental genomics, using data WGS to investigate the relationship between pathogens’ genotypes and phenotypes.

Roles

  • Member of The Virology Laboratory Cell and the Enhanced Surveillance Cell groups for Public Health Scotland.
  • Involved in the integration and implementation of Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium SARS-CoV2 genome sequencing into PHS for public health benefit, and supporting COG-UK in their activity in Scotland with access to samples and data, representing Public Health Scotland (PHS) in COG-UK.
  • Member of Covid-19 NHS Partners Steering Group, building testing SARS-CoV-2 capacity in Scotland in academic hubs
  • Member of CSO Scottish Testing Oversight Group, providing advice to the Chief Scientist.
  • Member of CNO Covid-19 Nosocomial Review Group, providing advice to the Chief Nursing Officer.
  • University’s NHS Clinical Coordination Group.

 

Profile picture for Dr Derek Sloan

Dr Derek Sloan

Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Infectious Diseases

Dr Sloan's research is targeted towards clinical therapeutics questions of global public health significance. He has an ongoing interest in the acute management of infectious disease outbreaks, and has supported the UKMed/NHS response to the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in West Africa in 2015.

Roles

  • Part of the Hospital Control Team and NHS Fife Scientific Technical and Advisory Cell for public health management of the local outbreak.
  • National clinical trial that aims to identify treatments that may be beneficial for people hospitalised with confirmed Covid-19.
  • Consultancy on risk communication and the World Health Organisation's EPI-WIN platform which has been newly created to manage the “infodemic” of misinformation circulated around the current pandemic.
  • Part of Clinical Reference Group supporting the clinical model for set-up of the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital at the SEC in Glasgow, to provide additional capacity for Covid patients in Scotland.