How did you end up writing for a newspaper?
The world’s attention has turned to public health over the past 12 months, so The Herald thought now was the right time to ask a public health specialist to try their hand at a different type of writing. I’m used to drafting academic articles so this will be a new challenge for me.
What’s been the highlight of your career?
For six years I’ve combined my University roles with serving as Cancer Research UK’s cancer prevention adviser. It’s a huge privilege to work with a charity supporting life-saving research. I was also fortunate to be appointed as the Usher Chair at the University of Edinburgh in 2018. This is the oldest chair in public health in the UK so I’m following in the footsteps of giants in the field.