Aileen Margaret Keel

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

FRCPath The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation. Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...

FRCPG

FRCPE The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

FRCSE The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...

FRCGP The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general practitioners, general (medical) practitioners (GPs/Family Physicians/Primary care physician, Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represe ...

(born 12 August 1952) is a Scottish medical doctor and academic who is serving as the Director of the Innovative Healthcare Delivery Programme at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. She previously served as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland from 1999 to 2014 and served as the Acting

Chief Medical Officer Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...

, until 2015. Born in Glasgow, she studied medicine at the

University of Glasgow Medical School The University of Glasgow School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing is the medical school of the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and is one of the largest in Europe, offering a 5-year MBChB degree course. It is ranked 2nd in the UK for medicine ...

. She worked in general medicine in Glasgow and Aberdeen, when she later moved to London to serve as the Director of Pathology and Consultant Haemotologist at the

Cromwell Hospital The Cromwell Hospital is a private sector hospital located in the South Kensington area of London. It is operated by international healthcare company Bupa. History The hospital, which was designed by Holder Mathias, was established by Bank of Cr ...

. She returned to Scotland and served as the Senior Medical Officer at the

Scottish Office The Scottish Office was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Following the e ...

. Following

Scottish devolution Devolution is the process in which the central British parliament grants administrative powers (excluding principally reserved matters) to the devolved Scottish Parliament. Prior to the advent of devolution, some had argued for a Scottish Parl ...

, Keel was appointed the Deputy CMO for Scotland, holding the position until 2014 when she became CMO on an interim basis. She was seconded by the Scottish Government to the University, where she is the Director of the Innovative Healthcare Delivery Programme.

Early life and education

Keel was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 12 August 1952 to Everina and Walter Keel. She studied medicine at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

graduating with a

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1976.

Career

After graduating from university, Keel trained and worked in general medicine and

haematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow and

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) is the largest hospital in the Grampian area, located on the Foresterhill site in Aberdeen, Scotland. ARI is a teaching hospital with around 900 inpatient beds, offering tertiary care for a population of over 600,00 ...

. From 1987 to 1989, she was Director of Pathology and Consultant Haematologist at

, London. She was an honorary consultant in haematology and research fellow at Central Middlesex and Middlesex hospitals from 1988 to 1992. She returned to Scotland in 1992 to take up with position of Senior Medical Office at the

a post she held until her promotion in 1998 to Principal Medical Officer. In 1999 she was promoted to Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, and from 2014 to 2015 was Acting

Chief Medical Officer for Scotland In the United Kingdom, a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is the most senior government advisor on matter relating to health. There are four CMOs in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments: * His Majesty's Governm ...

. Since 2015, Keel has been seconded from the Scottish Government to the

as Director of the Innovative Healthcare Delivery Programme. She is Chair of the Scottish Cancer Task Force and co-chair of Clinical Outcomes and Measures for Quality Improvement (COMQI).

Awards and honours

* Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow (1992) * Fellow of the

Royal College of Pathologists The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation. Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...

(1995) * Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

(2005) *

in the

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are presen ...

list (2008) * Fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...

(2013) * Fellow of the

Royal College of General Practitioners The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners (GPs/Family Physicians/Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including l ...

(2014) * Honorary Chair,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keel, Aileen 1952 births Living people Medical doctors from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal College of Pathologists Fellows of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scottish women medical doctors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Academics of the University of Edinburgh British haematologists Chief Medical Officers for Scotland Scottish women academics