The General Medical Council (GMC) has announced the appointment of Professor Alan Denison as its new Deputy Medical Director, replacing Professor Sue Carr who is retiring after six years in the role.
Professor Denison, currently Dean of Postgraduate Education at NHS Education for Scotland, will join the regulator in March next year. He has worked as a consultant radiologist in Aberdeen since 2006 and has been a GMC Education Associate for eight years.
He was previously a clinical academic for 13 years, during which he became undergraduate medicine degree programme lead. He is a Principal Fellow of Advance Higher Education – a charity that promotes higher education – and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Educators.
Professor Denison has also led on academic affairs, curriculum approvals liaison and several clinical specialties for the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans.
In his new role he will support the GMC’s Medical Director, Professor Pushpinder Mangat, working with key organisations in medical education and training across the UK. He will also provide clinical advice to help inform the GMC’s policies and projects.
Professor Denison said: "I am honoured and delighted to be joining the GMC at this pivotal moment of regulatory reform and workforce transformation. Having worked across systems and organisations throughout my career, I look forward to helping ensure we have the medical and associate workforce to meet the evolving health needs of our diverse populations across all four UK nations."
Professor Pushpinder Mangat, GMC Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards, said: "Professor Denison will bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to the GMC. We are delighted he is joining us in what is a key role, and at a crucial time for the future of medical education and training.
"He will build on the excellent work of Professor Sue Carr. Professor Carr was the GMC’s first Deputy Medical Director and has made a huge contribution to our work while in the role. She has been particularly helpful to me in my first few months. We will all be sorry to see her leave."
Professor Carr said: "It has been a privilege to the GMC’s Deputy Medical Director. I have enjoyed working with colleagues on a range of projects and issues, and to have had the opportunity to use my clinical and educational experience to help shape and influence education policy, professional standards and workforce transformation."
