People
Meet the people who are leading in the Global Compassion Initiative and others who are contributing to the work.
Organising for compassion in our institutions and advancing the science of compassion is a collective effort! It is relevant in all domains of our learning, teaching and research, as well as in how we engage with each other and organise our activities.
We are grateful for the support and advice from a diverse range Advisors, Associates and Friends who help to champion and strengthen our work. We have active and productive partnerships with colleagues in academic institutions around the world, the Scottish Government and a diverse range of charities and international organisations.
Meet our Co-Directors
Our Co-Directors set the strategic director of the Global Compassion Initiative and reflect a broad spectrum of disciplines, experience and interests.
Paul is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and honorary consultant neurosurgeon. His research spans clinical, laboratory and data science, in particular related to brain tumours. His research prioritises patient data at the centre of investigation into the mechanism of disease and search for novel therapies. In the Global Compassion Initiative he is interested in determining how to make reliable assessments of the impact of compassion at the population level.
Speaking about compassion
"We can probably agree compassion is critical to informing positive, sustainable change, but how do we assess what it actually does? Understanding this will help us deliver more positive changes, as a University and society, to secure positive, tractable outcomes. At the micro level, can we understand the biological impact of compassion? At the macro level, how do we reliably and reproducibly measure change in groups, and communities? These insights will help move compassion from aspiration to realisation."
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John is Honorary Professor of General Practice at the Usher Institute. He worked in Africa, then as a GP in rural Scotland for 28 years. He was Chair of the Royal College of GPs in Scotland for 4 years, then Deputy Director Scottish School of Primary Care. He has published on rural healthcare, medical ethics, medical humanities, medical education and primary health care policy. He edits 'Tools of the Trade', a book of poems gifted to all new doctors in Scotland since 2014.
Speaking about compassion
"My interest in compassion stems from directly observing – as a doctor over many years – that compassion is not an added extra to clinical care, it is the very heart of it. Now science is showing us the central importance of compassion to healthcare, economic wellbeing and indeed, survival post COVID-19. It’s the motivation behind Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s statement: ‘Life’s most urgent question is: 'what are you doing for others?'.'"
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Liz is an Assistant Principal (Global Health) and Director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh. Her research and teaching spans palliative care especially in low income countries, planetary health, and how the Sustainable Development Goals provides a blueprint for a more interconnected, healthier world. Liz worked as a Senior Health Advisor in the Scottish Government’s International Development Division and led global health work for NHS Lothian Public Health.
Speaking about compassion
"Compassion is central to the Sustainable Development Goals, it is the glue that holds the goals together. By embedding a culture of compassion, supported by the science of compassion, the University of Edinburgh seeks to support all students and staff to flourish, achieving their potential, and using their skills and knowledge to achieve the goals of a better, safer, more equitable, fairer and kinder world."
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Harriet is University Chaplain and Head of Chaplaincy Service at the University of Edinburgh. She was awarded an MBE in 2017 for Services to Multi-Faith Education and Community Cohesion. She is an Associate Fellow of the Clinical Educator Programme, Honorary Fellow of the School of Divinity, and a Fellow of the RSA. She gives compassion training within NHS Education Scotland, the Scottish Government, and the University, and is a coach with One of Many, the UK’s largest network of women leaders.
Speaking about compassion
"I’ve come to realise that we would neither survive nor thrive without compassion. Our ability to recognise and respond to the needs of others, our world, and ourselves, keeps us alive, and keeps us connected, and enables us to overcome great difficulties with tremendous triumphs of benign, loving, altruistic cooperation. Compassion for me involves courage, wisdom, perseverance and joy - what’s not to like?"
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Kirsty is the CEO of the MacGregor Leadership Consultancy and a member of the University of Edinburgh's General Council Business Committee. She has extensive corporate and international business experience including an MBA from the University of Edinburgh. Her work portfolio includes the design and delivery of strategic coaching, training, events and think tanks with a primary focus on tech leaders and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, the UK and internationally. Kirsty is also a practitioner and instructor in mindfulness meditation, yoga and personal development.
Speaking about compassion
"I have been deeply influenced by the insight succinctly expressed by the XIVth Dalai Lama that ‘love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive’. Like a garden, the cultivation of compassion needs the combined resources of science, disciplined training and wisdom to best flourish. An education at the University of Edinburgh should, I believe, model the nurturing and development of character, citizenship and values as well as academic excellence."
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