Dr Susan Laidlaw, Director of Public Health
After qualifying from Edinburgh University Medical School in 1991 and completing her house jobs, Susan trained in psychiatry in Scotland and North East England. She gained her MRCPsych in 1996 then moved into public health, starting on the Northern & Yorkshire Specialist Registrar training scheme in 1998.
Susan spent two years at Sunderland Health Authority and over a year at Newcastle University as a lecturer before moving to Shetland for personal reasons. She was fortunate to be able to transfer her training to the Scottish scheme, and started working part time at NHS Shetland in 2002, gaining her MFPH and specialist registration in 2007 and subsequently taking up a consultant post. Her remit covers the whole sphere of public health practice, including health protection and (currently) the pandemic response. She became the Board lead for Realistic Medicine in 2018. Susan took on the role of interim Director of Public Health in 2021 along with the Child Health Commissioner remit, alongside her consultant responsibilities. She is also an honorary lecturer at Aberdeen University Medical School, delivering teaching sessions remotely and mentoring students.