Sir Gregor Ian Smith is a Scottish general practitioner (GP), who has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since December 2020. He previously served in the position of Deputy Chief Medical Officer and from April 2020, until his appointment, served as Chief Medical Officer on an interim basis. A medicine graduate of the University of Glasgow Medical School, Smith served as a general practitioner doctor in Larkhall. He served as the Director for Primary Care at

NHS Lanarkshire NHS Lanarkshire is responsible for the health care of more than 652,000 people living within the subdivisions of Scotland, council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire in Scotland, making it the third largest health board in the countr ...

, before being appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland in 2015. On 5 April 2020 he served in the position of CMO on an interim basis, following the resignation of Dr

Catherine Calderwood Catherine Jane Calderwood FRCOG FRCPE (born 26 December 1968) is Northern-Irish born Scottish consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, who has served as the National Clinical Director for Sustainable Delivery at the Golden Jubilee University ...

. Smith was confirmed on a permanent basis on 23 December 2020.

Early life and education

Smith attended Uddingston Grammar School and studied medicine at

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 in 1994.

Career

General practice

Smith worked as a general practitioner doctor in Larkhall, as well as serving as the Director for Primary Care within

. Smith is an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Glasgow and Fellow of both the Scottish Patient Safety Programme and Salzburg Global.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland

Smith was appointed as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland in 2015, serving with

who was appointed Chief Medical Officer.

Chief Medical Officer for Scotland

Following the sudden resignation of Calderwood in April 2020, Smith was requested by the Scottish Government to act as interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, taking a lead role in the Scottish Government response to

COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland The COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland is part of the COVID-19 pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Scotland on 1 March 2020. Community transmission was first reported on ...

. Smith took part in his first Scottish Government press briefing on 6 April 2020 at

St Andrew's House St. Andrew's House (SAH), on the southern flank of Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, is the headquarters building of the Scottish Government. The building stands on the site of the former Calton Gaol. Today, the turreted Governor's House is a ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, alongside

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chairs ...

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...

and

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, commonly referred to as the Health Secretary, is a cabinet position in the Scottish Government. The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for the Health and Social Care Directorates and NHS Scotland. ...

Jeane Freeman Jeane Tennent Freeman (born 28 September 1953) is a Scottish former politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was the Member of the Scottish Parliame ...

. Smith was confirmed as the permanent job holder in December 2020. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

for services to public health.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Gregor Living people COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland Chief Medical Officers for Scotland Alumni of the University of Glasgow 21st-century Scottish medical doctors Year of birth missing (living people) Knights Bachelor