Safia is Director of Evidence & Digital at Healthcare Improvement Scotland and leads work on the development of national evidence-based advice, guidance and standards and the assessment of new technologies and newly licensed medicines. She is very interested in how we use digital technology to make it easier to work, to share our work and for the NHS to benefit from our work.

Safia started her working life as a scientist before joining the NHS as a management trainee. She has since had various roles in the NHS, mainly focused on evidence, improvement and change in some form or another. Before joining Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Safia held a number of senior roles in NHS Scotland.

Safia has a keen interest in how clinical evidence is used to make a difference for us all on an individual level – bringing the science and our personal experience and stories together and is increasingly curious about how a digital approach can help this happen.

Safia is an member of the executive of the NHS Scotland Ethnic Minority Forum and the co-chair of the Scottish Government’s Racialised Health Inequalities in Health and Social Care in Scotland Steering Group. Using digital technologies to remove inequalities rather than embed them further is a key issue for both groups.

She was born and grew up in Liverpool, a fantastic multicultural city with attitude and came to Scotland to go to University and has lived and worked here ever since. This explains why she is such a fan of Liverpool Football club.

She holds an MSc in Healthcare Management, a PhD in Reproductive Biology and a postgraduate diploma in Digital Health Leadership

The Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) is part of her portfolio. SHTG advises NHS Scotland on the medical benefits and value for money of new technologies, including digital innovations.

Jonathan is the Deputy Director for Digital Health and Care in Scottish Government, and has overall responsibility for the Digital Health and Care Data Strategy for Scotland, and is currently leading the delivery of major programmes across the NHS and Care Sectors. During the Covid pandemic, Jonathan led the digital response including the delivery of the Covid Vaccination System and Protect Scotland app. 

Prior to his current role, Jonathan has held a number of data and IT programme posts in the public and private sector, and has a strong track record on complex IT and data system delivery. His career in eHealth and IT includes the delivery of the Emergency Care Summary and Key Information Summary systems which were major achievements in improving patient care across Scotland.  

Chal leads on DHI’s technical strategy and is responsible for the way we support and deliver technical innovation, by applying systems thinking and methodologies in support of the DHI innovation model. He is devoted to the idea that citizens can be empowered to take an active role in their own wellbeing. Chal believes that digital health offers the tools to achieve this, and the DHI has the fresh perspective necessary to reconceive the relationship between the citizen and those who might care for them. He brings a range of skills including a Master’s in Healthcare Management & Leadership and a Master’s in Public Health Policy: Health Systems. He has spent seven years working in digital innovation, seven years working in Scottish Government public policy and healthcare service delivery and has led the design, development, integration and roll out of many digital health and care services with several used at scale across Scotland.

Sara is responsible for developing the strategic direction of the organisation, overseeing the ALLIANCE’s portfolio of programmes. Central to this is ensuring a strong voice for disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers and opportunity to influence change based on their lived experiences.

Sara’s work involves working closely with ALLIANCE members, developing innovative partnerships that show how change can be achieved, and promoting the role of the third sector as a key innovator and partner in realising Scotland’s national health and wellbeing outcomes.

Since her time at the ALLIANCE Sara has had key policy roles in our health and social care integration and self management programmes.

Previously Sara has worked at Scottish Government as a researcher in the equalities and tackling poverty division and has worked in a number of frontline roles supporting people who have claimed asylum, survivors of sexual violence, and with people experiencing homelessness.

Donald has worked for many years in the health and social care sectors across the United Kingdom. A particular professional focus has been issues related to dementia, bereavement, palliative care and individual human rights.

He is the CEO of Scottish Care, the representative body for care providers in the independent sector, namely private, charitable, and employee-owned care organisations which includes care home and home care organisations.

He serves on several Scottish, UK and international charities and boards related to health and social care including at present as a Director of the Global Ageing Network. A regular blogger and public speaker he is an active campaigner for older person rights.

Albert King is Chief Data Officer at NHS National Services Scotland (NSS). NHS NSS serves as the data hub for the health and social care economy in Scotland. Through and unrivalled mix of health and social care datasets, professional capability and it’s leading technology platform (Seer) it supports the development of insights with partners, including Public Health Scotland, Health Boards, local and national government. Previously, Albert served as Chief Data Officer in the Scottish Government and draws on over 20 years experience in industry and public sector data and technology.

Catherine is responsible for the development and delivery monitoring of PHS’s digital and data strategy. This involves supporting the development of new data systems and digital products, the application of data science to statistics and data production, information governance, and PHS’s IT and Technical Services. As Deputy Head of Profession for Statistics, she also supports Scott Heald (Head of Profession) with all matters related to statistical governance. 

Catherine’s background is in social research and statistics; she has had roles leading major population surveys, regulating official statistics production, and funding largescale research data infrastructure. 

Studied BSc (Hons) Genetics (Immunology), graduating in 1998, followed by a PhD in Medicine and Therapeutics at University of Aberdeen in 2001.

Katriona has worked in academia, industry and the health service in the UK and globally. During this time Katriona has taken her experience in the ethical design and successful delivery of observational health research and clinical trials of new drugs to innovation and technology evidence generation in healthcare.

To compliment this post-doc healthcare based work across novel therapeutics, including digital solutions, medical devices and software/AI as a medical device, Katriona complete a Master of Laws in Medical Law and Ethics, University of Edinburgh in 2023.

Katriona is currently the R&I Innovation Lead, West of Scotland Innovation Hub (core CSO funded) – supporting end to end innovation in across the healthboards in the west of Scotland. This work links closely with colleagues in the North of Scotland IH (EoSIH) and East of Scotland IH (HISES) with core funding from the Chief Scientists Office (CSO), Scottish Government (SG).

Katriona is also Chair, Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee (WoSREC1), providing independent ethical review of research involving NHS patients and facilities.

As the Intellectual Property Office, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Katriona can help support conversations with triple helix partners to ensure benefit sharing of solutions co-developed.

Katriona is a current masters student at Edinburgh Futures Institute, UofEd studying Data, AI and Ethics (2024-2027).

As the Program proposer and lead for the new MSc in MedTech Innovation, UofG and course advisor for MSc Clinical Trials, UofG Katriona continued to contribute to teaching and ensure course on offer are relevant to healthcare requirements for developing new solutions for patients and workforce.

I am a designer, technologist and educator with a career spanning over 25 years in product design, immersive VR, interactive entertainment, communications and service design, digital, design research and healthcare.

Working at the junction of design and technology, I have been involved in the development of products and services with companies and organisations across commercial, public and applied research sectors including Virtuality, Oyster Partners (now DigitasLBi) The Fraunhofer Institute, MIT and Giugiaro.

I currently divide my time between the Innovation School at Glasgow School of Art where I am Design Director, The Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre where I hold the same title and with various companies as an independent Creative Technologist.

Working in social services for 20+ years, George’s career began supporting adults with learning disabilities, then working with people who use alcohol and other drugs.  He has 15 years’ experience in national workforce development, working as Operations Manager at Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol (STRADA) and Workforce Development Programme Manager at Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF).

George’s work at SSSC brings together a lifelong interest in digital technology and how it can support learning and practice in social services.  He is interested in the opportunities and challenges of AI in these contexts, and how technology can be used to discover and engage with learning opportunities, and support sustained behaviour change in the workplace.

He believes that the delivery of excellent social services will be underpinned by a digitally confident, capable (and curious) workforce. George is a board member at SDF and volunteers with Children’s Hearings Scotland as a panel member.

Pamela brings over 35 years’ experience of working in public sector health care and social care and is a founding member of the Digitally Enabled Workforce (DEW) Team within NHS  Education for Scotland (NES).  The team is commissioned by Scottish Government and COSLA to deliver the Digital Capabilities Programme aligned to Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Strategy, Data Strategy and Care in the Digital Age delivery plan.

Pamela currently leads various national programmes of work focussing on digital skills and digital leadership development helping to ensure that the health and social care workforce are equipped to navigate the digital landscape to improve service quality and accessibility.

Pamela’s interest in applying technology to drive improvement began earlier in her career when working in local authority social work and social care services in Scotland and England and she continues this interest with a focus on how digital technology can provide benefits across the entire health and social care workforce and wider health and care systems in Scotland.

Since joining Alzheimer Scotland in 2007, Janice has gained experience in both local and national roles, which has equipped her with a deep understanding of balancing locality-specific needs with broader strategic objectives. In her current role as Digital Learning & Development Lead, she combines her passion for digital solutions with her commitment to workforce development. 

Janice’s focus is on fostering an innovative approach to learning and development across Alzheimer Scotland, ensuring that both local and national teams are digitally skilled and confident. She is dedicated to integrating technology enabled care alongside therapeutic support to help sustain the independence and well-being of individuals and families supported by the organisation. 

Safia is Director of Evidence & Digital at Healthcare Improvement Scotland and leads work on the development of national evidence-based advice, guidance and standards and the assessment of new technologies and newly licensed medicines. She is very interested in how we use digital technology to make it easier to work, to share our work and for the NHS to benefit from our work.

Safia started her working life as a scientist before joining the NHS as a management trainee. She has since had various roles in the NHS, mainly focused on evidence, improvement and change in some form or another. Before joining Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Safia held a number of senior roles in NHS Scotland.

Safia has a keen interest in how clinical evidence is used to make a difference for us all on an individual level – bringing the science and our personal experience and stories together and is increasingly curious about how a digital approach can help this happen.

Safia is an member of the executive of the NHS Scotland Ethnic Minority Forum and the co-chair of the Scottish Government’s Racialised Health Inequalities in Health and Social Care in Scotland Steering Group. Using digital technologies to remove inequalities rather than embed them further is a key issue for both groups.

She was born and grew up in Liverpool, a fantastic multicultural city with attitude and came to Scotland to go to University and has lived and worked here ever since. This explains why she is such a fan of Liverpool Football club.

She holds an MSc in Healthcare Management, a PhD in Reproductive Biology and a postgraduate diploma in Digital Health Leadership

The Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) is part of her portfolio. SHTG advises NHS Scotland on the medical benefits and value for money of new technologies, including digital innovations.