Professor Bill Gillespie to be first Dean of the Hull York Medical School
Posted on 18 December 2001
Professor Gillespie has had a career in orthopaedic surgery in Britain, New Zealand and Australia and has taught at the Universities of Edinburgh, Otago (New Zealand) and Newcastle (in New South Wales, Australia). He has been Dean of Dunedin School of Medicine since 1998.
As the first professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in the Christchurch School of Medicine of the University of Otago, and the University of Newcastle (NSW), Professor Gillespie gained experience in developing programmes for new medical schools and in encouraging doctors to develop teaching roles alongside their clinical duties.
He also has considerable experience of working in medical schools on multiple sites and in managing the interface between universities and health systems.
Professor Gillespie has also been a key member in the Cochrane research collaboration, an international group with a worldwide reputation for health research. He has been Coordinating Editor of the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Collaborative Review Group since 1995, a group which has produced over 30 systematic reviews, and has a similar number in preparation.
Professor Gillespie said: "It is a great privilege to have been appointed to this post. There is lots to do, and it won't always be easy. Success will have been built on the vision and energy of the people in North and East Yorkshire and South Humber who have worked to get the Medical School established, and who continue to prepare for the first students in less than two years from now. I very much look forward to working with them."
Professor David Drewry, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull said: "Professor Gillespie comes to HYMS with an outstanding record of performance as Dean of the prestigious medical school at the University of Otago, Dunedin. His experience will ensure an excellent start to the school."
Professor Ron Cooke, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York said: "Professor Bill Gillespie has excellent experience in Scotland, Australia and New Zealand, in orthopaedic surgery, in evidence-based medicine (The Cochrane Collaboration) and in medical education: we are very fortunate to secure his services for the challenging task of creating a new, modern Medical School."
Professor Gillespie, who is 61, is married with two children. His research has focused on musculoskeletal infection and on the long-term outcomes of joint replacement. He has also been involved in clinical trials and systematic review. In his spare time he enjoys walking and golf.
The Hull York Medical School will admit its first students in October 2003. At full strength, it will have about 600 students, with 130 new entrants each year. Students will spend the first two years of their training mainly in University-based tuition - half of them in York and half in Hull - before being assigned for increasing time each week to clinical placements in the primary, community and hospital care sectors.
Notes to editors:
- Professor Bill Gillespie is a medical graduate of the University of Edinburgh (1964). He worked in hospitals in Edinburgh and at the University of Edinburgh until 1973 when he left to spend a year in Auckland. He returned to Edinburgh as Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary before leaving to become Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Christchurch School of Medicine, of the University of Otago in 1981. In 1989 he became Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, and Director of Orthopaedic Services at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. In 1993, he returned to Edinburgh to became George Harrison Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.
- Professor Gillespie is a member of the Education Committee of the Medical Council of New Zealand and a Trustee of the New Zealand Medical Education Trust. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, a Fellow in Orthopaedic Surgery of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
- The Hull York Medical School aims to improve health care in North and East Yorkshire and South Humber. It is also expected to help the NHS recruit and retain key clinical staff in the area.
- The School will have a strong focus on learning in community settings, including the primary care sector, and on working with other health professionals. Admissions policy and criteria will reflect aspirations to widen participation in medical training for high quality students.
- The three Health Authority areas of North Yorkshire, East Riding and Hull, and South Humber cover a population of 1.4 million people - the largest in England not currently served by an undergraduate medical school.
- The Hull York Medical School's website is at www.hyms.ac.uk