McKee visited the university along with Victor Dzau, the president of the United States National Academy of Medicine. They toured the facilities at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, including the Clinical Innovation Zone, and saw the 7T MRI scanner.
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, spoke to them about the economic potential of the precision medicine agenda, which McKee hailed as playing a key role in developing Scotland’s profile internationally and contributing to inclusive economic growth at home.
McKee also met with Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, the university’s principal, to hear more about the university’s innovation strategy and £1 billion campus development programme which is currently underway.
Ivan McKee, Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation, said: “The Imaging Centre of Excellence at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is an international leader in personalised medicine. The pioneering work done here contributes to Scotland’s international profile as well as supporting high quality jobs in the city.
“The scope of the campus development plans are also of a scale that they could raise the profile of the whole country, and I look forward to working with University of Glasgow and other partners on how we can make that happen.”
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, vice principal and head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, said: “I was delighted to welcome the new minister to the university and to highlight some of the world leading work being undertaken here – with the potential to improve outcomes for patients, save millions of pounds for the NHS and make a real contribution to inclusive economic growth and job creation.
“The collaborations at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital between academia, industry and the NHS are the perfect example of the approach we need to take to ensure Scotland can capitalise on our current position in precision medicine and continue to lead the world in this emerging industry – and I look forward to working with the new minister to ensure we continue to see real economic benefit for the whole of Scotland from this exciting new field.”
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