David Christopher Crossman (born 20 July 1957) is a physician who has been the Dean of the
University of St Andrews School of Medicine since 2014 and was the
Chief Scientist (Health) within the
Health and Social Care Directorates
The Health and Social Care Directorates are a group of directorates of the Scottish Government. They are responsible for NHS Scotland, as well as policies on the development and implementation of health and social care.
The Chief Executive of NH ...
of the
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
from 2017 to 2022.
Early life and education
Crossman was born in 1957 to William George and Charmian Jeanette Crossman. He has attributed his interest in
cardiology
Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
to Christiaan Barnard doing the first heart transplant in 1967 while he was having his tonsils removed. Following this ambition of being a cardiologist, Crossman studied medicine at
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and in 1979 with a first class BSc in
Physiology
Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
and in 1982 with an
MBBS
A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...
degree.
Career
From university Crossman trained in clinical pharmacology and worked at
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital, formerly the Military Orthopaedic Hospital, and later the Special Surgical Hospital, is a major teaching hospital in White City, London, White City, West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the ...
in London from 1985 under
Celia Oakley and
Attilio Maseri before becoming Professor of Clinical Cardiology at the
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...
in 1994. While in this role, Crossman was director of a
National Institute for Health Research
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the British government's major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research. With a budget of over £1.2 billion in 2020–21, its mission is to "improv ...
research unit. In 2011, Crossman became the Dean of Medicine at the
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...
. In 2014 Crossman then moved to be the Dean and Bute Chair of Medicine at the
University of St Andrews School of Medicine.
During his tenure at St. Andrews, Crossman has overseen the proposed return of degree awarding powers to the medical school as part of the Scottish Government's 'Programme for Government' and the establishment of a graduate-entry medicine degree at the University of St. Andrews.
In addition, Crossman was Chairman of the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Board within the National Institute for Health Research from 2016 to 2019, succeeding
Rajesh Thakker in the role.
Crossman was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the
British Pharmacological Society
The British Pharmacological Society is the primary UK learned society for Pharmacology, pharmacologists, concerned with research into drugs and the ways in which they work. Members work in academia, industry, regulatory agencies, and the health se ...
in 2020.
Chief Scientist for Health
In November 2017 Crossman was appointed as the Chief Scientist (Health) within the
Health and Social Care Directorates
The Health and Social Care Directorates are a group of directorates of the Scottish Government. They are responsible for NHS Scotland, as well as policies on the development and implementation of health and social care.
The Chief Executive of NH ...
of the
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
, succeeding Professor Andrew Morris who in turn had succeeded Professor
Sir John Savill. The role primarily concerns itself with managing the Scottish Government's affairs within medical research in Scotland, something which Crossman has expressed enthusiasm for. In this role, Crossman was one of the fifteen members of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR).
Crossman concluded his term as Chief Scientist (Health) in June 2022. On his departure, Cabinet Secretary for Health
Humza Yousaf
Humza Haroon Yousaf (; born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish ...
thanked Crossman for his service
Crossman was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE) in the
2023 New Year Honours
The 2023 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 celebratio ...
for services to public health in Scotland.
COVID-19 Pandemic
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
Crossman has served as Vice-Chairman of the Scottish Government COVID-19 advisory group and as Chair of the Scottish Government COVID-19 Test Strategy Group.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crossman, David
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
20th-century British medical doctors
21st-century British medical doctors
Living people
1957 births
Academics of the University of East Anglia
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire