The HODS group is responsible for overseeing the strategic and practical support for primary care academic activity within its member departments.
HODS is made up of the heads of departments of general practice and primary care in medical schools in the UK and Ireland. The Chair is Dr Eduard Shantsila and Secretary is Helen Atherton.
HODS meet formally three times a year with regular email communication between. The Chair of HODS is a member of the SAPC Executive and the Chair of SAPC attends HODs meetings.
Twitter handles of HODs institutions
The WiseGP map provides an overview of all the centres of scholarship in the British Isles.
HODS Constitution
The group shall comprise the heads of departments of general practice and primary care in medical schools in the UK and Ireland; hereinafter referred to as the HODS group.
In general HODS (as HODS, rather than as individual academics) are mainly involved in the following tasks.
- Managing the resources of university departments
- Building academic capacity, including support for individual academic careers
- Promoting the role of academic general practice and primary care within medical schools
- Leading local programmes of high quality, mainly undergraduate, but also postgraduate education in general practice and primary care
- Leading local, national and international programmes of high quality research and development in general practice and primary care
- Linking with NHS general practice and primary care, mainly via local education and research networks
Aim
To support the development of general practice and primary care via university centres of excellence in research and education.
Objectives
- To provide academic support for the generalist clinical function
- To promote multidisciplinary university centres of excellence in research and education for general practice and primary care
- To integrate university centres within broader networks for education, research and service development in general practice and primary care
- To influence national policies concerning academic medicine and academic general practice and primary care
- To provide mutual support for heads of department
Activities
- sharing information and experience
- co-ordinating reviews and the development of policy advice
- responding to requests for advice and comment
- advising other bodies on matters affecting university centres of general practice and primary care
The group works as a confederation of individuals with common responsibilities in different university contexts. The group may agree particular positions and policies on matters affecting academic general practice and primary care but decisions of the group are not binding in relation to the discharge of local responsibilities
Chair: Dr Eduard Shantsila
Secretary: Prof Helen Atherton
Admin: office@sapc.ac.uk
Immediate past Chairs of HODs group
(2023-2025) Dr Euan Lawson, Lancaster
(2020-2023) Professor Joanne Reeve, HYMS
(2017-2020) Professor Mike Moore, Southampton
(2012-2017): Professor John Campbell, Exeter
Eduard Shantsila is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Primary Care and Mental Health and a GP at Brownlow Health Partnership. His academic interests include cardiovascular health, ageing and multi-morbidity, with a focus on general practice and digital health technologies.
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/population-health/staff/eduard-shantsila-2/
HoDs Secretary (2025- ), Previous early careers representative (2013-2016) and General Executive Committee member (2012-2016).
I am Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton and co-Head of the Primary Care Research Centre at Southampton. My research focuses on digital primary care and the interface with access to primary care, exploring digital access through to delivery of healthcare using remote approaches. My methodological expertise is in qualitative research, mixed methods and review methodology. I am currently vice Chair of the Scientific Foundation Board at the Royal College of General Practitioners. I have a particular interest in encouraging capacity building in academic primary care and currently supervise an NIHR In Practice Fellow and PhD students both in the UK and based in Europe.
I am a Health Services Researcher with a PhD in Primary Care Health Services Research (Imperial College), Master of Public Health (Imperial College), MSc in Biological Anthropology and BSc in Ecology (University of Durham). I have worked in academic primary care research since 2005.
