UKHSA appoints Chief Medical Advisor and Chief Scientific Officer

UKHSA has appointed Dr Gail Carson as its new Chief Medical Advisor. Dr Carson has had a distinguished and wide-ranging career working with WHO on diseases including Ebola, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, H1N1, SARS and H5N1.

She is currently Director of Network Development for the international clinical research network (ISARIC) at the University of Oxford, which she helped establish in 2011. ISARIC is a global federation of investigator-led clinical research networks, with sites in over 130 countries, which was set up to ensure that clinical research can help inform patient care and policy early on in public health emergencies.

Dr Carson is also a past Chair of Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN), a World Health Organization network of partners.

She will take up her new role at UKHSA in January 2027.

Dr Carson said:

I am delighted to be joining the UK Health Security Agency. Throughout my time in outbreak preparedness and response I have seen the enormous value of the expertise held across this Agency. Together, we will continue to strengthen our capabilities, adapt to new challenges, and ensure that we are ready for whatever comes next.

I look forward to working with colleagues across the UK and globally as we continue to evolve, learn and prepare together.

 

UKHSA has also announced the permanent appointment of Professor Robin May as its Chief Scientific Officer.

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 (FSA).  His research expertise spans microbiology and infection, with broader experience in scientific risk assessment and evidence-based policy development.

Professor May said:

During the last 12 months I’ve seen first-hand the critical work UKHSA does to protect the public from health threats. It has been a privilege working with talented experts across UKHSA and I’m looking forward to building on this strong foundation. This is a time of great challenge, but also great opportunity, within public health and I am looking forward to doing my part to help ensure UKHSA is ready to face whatever challenges the future may hold.

Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Executive at UK Health Security Agency, said:

I am delighted to welcome Dr Gail Carson as our new Chief Medical Advisor and to confirm Professor Robin May’s permanent appointment as Chief Scientific Officer. Between them, they bring a wealth of clinical and scientific expertise, from frontline outbreak response to cutting-edge infectious disease research, that spans decades and reaches right across the globe. Their knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we continue to deliver on UKHSA’s mission to protect the public from health threats and I look forward to working with them both.