Clinical and Veterinary Virology

Dr Tamer Abdelrahman, Clinical Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant Virologist, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), University of Glasgow.
This new position in the CVR will work with the NHS West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre (WOSSVC), which is the diagnostic laboratory for viral infections serving the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board. It is the largest NHS Diagnostic Virology Department in Scotland, providing specialist virological services to 75% of the Scottish population.

One of our strategic aims is to continue to link CVR research programmes with clinical and public health problems. In the last quinquennium, we recruited a Senior Clinical Lecturer and NHS Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases (Emma Thomson) who has been instrumental in bridging the traditional strengths in fundamental virology at the CVR with clinics (both locally and in London) as well as liaising with public health bodies both nationally (PHE and HPS) and internationally (WHO).
We have recently appointed from 1st October 2016 another NHS Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer/Honorary Consultant on a 50:50 funded position between the CVR and NHS (post and associated funding already approved by NHS). This post will link the CVR with the NHS West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre (WOSSVC), which is the diagnostic laboratory for viral infections serving the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board. It is the largest NHS Diagnostic Virology Department in Scotland, providing specialist virological services to 75% of the Scottish population. Hence, the CVR will have a strong foothold both in the Brownlee Centre for Infectious and Communicable Diseases (Thomson) and the WOSSVC (new appointee). This will ideally position the CVR to translate fundamental research programmes into diagnostic and clinical practice. At the same time the presence of active practitioners embedded within clinical and diagnostic NHS departments will facilitate access to clinical data and samples, helping to shape our future strategy for addressing critical health issues arising from viral infection.