Professor Deborah Ashby will take up the role of Interim Dean for the Faculty of Medicine, from 1 August, following Professor Jonathan Weber’s retirement as Dean at the end of July. Professor Weber will continue in his role as Director of our Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) until further notice. Professor Ashby has agreed to take up the role on an interim basis for 12 months, while recruitment continues for the position, and will therefore be stepping down from her role as Director of the School of Public Health.
Professor Neil Ferguson has agreed to take on the position of Interim Director of the School of Public Health from 1 August, while recruitment takes place for Professor Ashby’s replacement.
Reporting to the Provost, the Interim Dean of the Faculty of Medicine is responsible for all aspects of the Faculty’s strategy, operations and finances. As Interim Dean Professor Ashby will also be a member of the Council and University Management Board (UMB).
Since joining Imperial in 2008, Professor Ashby has held a number of leadership positions, including Founding Co-Director of the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit.
She is a Chartered Statistician and her research interests are in clinical trials, risk-benefit decision making for medicines, and the utility of Bayesian approaches in these areas. Professor Ashby was awarded the OBE for services to medicine in 2009, appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2010, elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2012 and was elected President of the Royal Statistical Society for 2019 and 2020.
Reporting to the Interim Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Ferguson will provide strategic vision, direction and leadership to the School of Public Health and will ensure that appropriate plans, management and governance structures and practices are in place.
Professor Ferguson has held various senior roles within Imperial, including Vice-Dean (Academic Development) for the Faculty of Medicine. He sits on a number of committees advising the UK and overseas governments and the World Health Organisation. His research interests are in the epidemiology, evolution and control of infectious diseases.
Professor Ferguson was awarded an OBE in 2002, was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2005, appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2009, and was elected as an international member of the National Academy of Medicine of the USA in 2019.