Professor Richard McManus appointed as Dean of Brighton and Sussex Medical School

He joins BSMS from the University of Oxford, where he is currently Professor of Primary Care in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Professor Malcolm Reed is retiring at the end of July, as the school concludes its twentieth anniversary celebrations.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is a partnership between the universities of Sussex and Brighton. As Dean, Professor McManus will report to both Vice-Chancellors.

Professor McManus qualified from St Mary’s Hospital Medical School (now Imperial) in 1991 and trained in London and Gloucestershire in medicine and general practice before starting his academic career in Birmingham where he gained a PhD and rose to be appointed Professor of Primary Care Research in 2009. He moved to Oxford in 2011 where he holds a statutory chair in Primary Care Health Sciences at Oxford University, a Governing Body Fellowship at Green Templeton College and works as a GP Partner at Northgate Health Centre.

Professor Richard McManus

Richard is a leading authority on the management of hypertension and his work on the diagnosis of hypertension and self-monitoring of blood pressure has changed national and international guidelines, bringing monitoring out of the clinic and into the home.

Richard enjoys mentoring and has supported medical students, healthcare professionals, social scientists, GPs and other academic colleagues both within the UK and internationally for many years. He believes passionately in the importance of including research in both training and everyday clinical practice and is proud to support the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academy, currently chairing their Research Professors Selection Committee. He is an NIHR Senior Investigator.

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton said: “I am delighted that we are able to welcome Richard to BSMS. His experience and expertise as Professor of Primary Care will be hugely valuable for the future direction of this unique partnership, enabling us to grow our collective research and practice in primary and community care through even greater collaboration.”

Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex said: “Richard’s clinical expertise and leadership skills shone throughout the selection process, and Debra and I are delighted to have appointed him to the role. I am sure Richard will build on the excellent legacy which Malcolm is leaving behind and take BSMS forward to a future of progressive medical research hand in hand with training the next generation of medical experts.”

Richard said: “I am delighted to be joining BSMS with its well-deserved reputation as the go-to destination for medical students where excellence and inclusivity sit side by side. I am passionate about research and its importance to clinical practice, and look forward to further developing this with colleagues at BSMS, its partner universities and local NHS organisations.”

Malcolm Reed retires on 31 July, and Professor Gordon Ferns will act as Interim Dean until Richard starts on 2 September.