Dame Caroline Jan MacEwen , known as Carrie MacEwen, is a British

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

consultant who has served as the chair of the General Medical Council (GMC) since May 2022. She was previously acting chair of the GMC between August 2021 and May 2022, the chair of the

Academy of Medical Royal Colleges The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) is the coordinating body for the United Kingdom and Ireland's 23 Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties. It ensures that patients are safely and properly cared for by setting standards for the way doc ...

between 2017 and 2020 and the president of the

Royal College of Ophthalmologists The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, founded in 1988, is an independent professional body and one of the Medical Royal Colleges. They set the standards and examinations for medical doctors aiming to become ophthalmologists, and provide surgical ...

(RCOphth) between 2014 and 2017.

Career

MacEwen studied medicine at the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

, graduating in 1981. She specialised in ophthalmology and has been a consultant since 1996. She works as a consultant at the

Ninewells Hospital Ninewells Hospital is a large teaching hospital, based on the western edge of Dundee, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland ...

NHS Tayside NHS Tayside is an NHS board which forms one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services in Angus, the City of Dundee and Perth and Kinross. NHS Tayside is headquartered at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee; one of the la ...

in Dundee and is an Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the

University of Dundee School of Medicine The University of Dundee School of Medicine is the school concerned with medical education and clinical research at the University of Dundee in Scotland. In 1967, Dundee's medical school became independent in its own right having started in 1889 ...

. Her research is focused on paediatric ophthalmology, ocular trauma, sports ophthalmology and disorders of eye movement. MacEwen is also the chair of the

Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) was established in April 2008 to promote improvement in health services, by increasing the impact that clinical audit has on healthcare quality in England and Wales and, in some cases other dev ...

, ophthalmology specialty adviser to the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, co-clinical lead for the ophthalmology workstream of the Getting It Right First Time programme in England, and Associate Dean for less than full time training for East Scotland. While president of the RCOphth, she helped to develop the Ophthalmic Common Clinical Competency Framework and commissioned The Way Forward, an initiative to help develop service redesign. MacEwen served as acting chair of the GMC between August 2021 and May 2022 before being appointed as the chair by the Privy Council. She is the second woman to hold the position since its founding in 1858. In a speech at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in October 2021, she set out the GMC's vision on how they would help to improve doctors' wellbeing with a shift from "stepping in when things go wrong to fostering supportive environments that stop harm from happening in the first place". MacEwen said that the GMC would do this by conducting more research and data collection and further development of their equality, diversity, and inclusion programme. She would also aim to reduce disproportionality between BME and white doctors in fitness-to-practice referrals by employers and attainment in undergraduate and postgraduate education. MacEwen oversaw the consultation on the review of ''Good Medical Practice'', the main guidance document for UK doctors' standards, in 2022.

Honours

Fellow of: * British and Irish Orthoptic Society (Honorary) * College of Optometrists (Honorary) * Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (Senior Fellow) *

Faculty of Public Health The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is a public health association in the United Kingdom established as a registered charity. It is the standard setting body for public health specialists within the United Kingdom, setting standards for training ...

(Honorary) *

Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (UK) (FSEM) is a not-for-profit professional organisation responsible for training, educating and representing over 500 doctors in the United Kingdom. These doctors practise in the speciality of sport a ...

(Honorary) *

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 ...

(Honorary) *

(Honorary/Past President) *

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 ...

(Honorary) *

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 ...

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, it originally exis ...

(Honorary) * Royal Society of Edinburgh *

Worshipful Company of Barbers The Worshipful Company of Barbers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, and ranks 17th in precedence. The Fellowship of Surgeons merged with the Barbers' Company in 1540, forming the Company of Barbers and Surgeons, but after t ...

(Honorary Freeman) She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to ophthalmology and healthcare leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.

References

External links

Profile page: Dr. Carrie MacEwen
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists {{DEFAULTSORT:MacEwen, Carrie Living people Academics of the University of Dundee British ophthalmologists Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Fellows of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Women ophthalmologists Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1958 births Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Dundee