The RCP is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Sandy Thomson as its new Linacre fellow. He will take up the role on 1 January 2027 as the current Linacre fellow, Dr Shruthi Konda, demits.
Consultant physician and geriatrician Professor Sandy Thomas has been appointed as the RCP's Linacre fellow. In the role he will lead work to strengthen engagement with college tutors and associate college tutors. These include regional advisers, and regional representatives on the student and foundation doctor network, the resident doctor committee, the new consultants committee and the SAS doctor network.
He will also help shape the future contribution of college and associate college tutors to the wider physician workforce. A key priority will be to develop and implement closer ways of working that strengthen engagement with resident doctors, new consultants and SAS colleagues, supporting the RCP’s members and its commitment to better patient care.
This important work will help ensure the experiences and needs of doctors at every stage of their career are better reflected in medical education and workforce planning. By bringing these groups closer together, Sandy will help ensure the RCP can support joined-up training, stronger professional development, and ultimately better care for patients.
Professor Mumtaz Patel, RCP president, said:
‘It is a pleasure to congratulate Professor Sandy Thomson on his appointment as the RCP’s next Linacre fellow. Sandy has played an active and effective role in the college and brings a wealth of experience in medical education and clinical leadership alongside a deep commitment to supporting doctors throughout their careers.
‘I also want to sincerely thank Dr Shruthi Konda, our current Linacre fellow, for her committed contribution to the role. Her dedication to strengthening educational networks and supporting our tutors has been invaluable.
‘I know Sandy will build on these strong foundations, helping to strengthen connections across the regions and to ensure the voice of doctors can help shape the future of physician training and patient care.’
Professor Thomson has been a consultant physician and geriatrician at Salford Royal Hospital since 2007. He became a fellow of the RCP in 2011 and served for five years as an RCP regional adviser in the Northwest of England. His principal interests are Parkinson’s disease, delirium and medical education.
From 2012 to 2025, he was education lead for the higher specialty training programme in geriatric medicine for the North-Western Deanery. He has been education lead for the MSc in geriatric medicine at the University of Salford since 2011.
Professor Thomson has also contributed extensively to the RCP’s education and assessment work as a PACES examiner and question writer for the Specialist Certificate Examination (SCE) in geriatric medicine. He chairs the SCE question-writing groups and is a member of both the SCE Standard Setting Board and Exam Board. He was appointed as an RCP censor in August 2024.
Professor Thomson is a passionate educator committed to getting training right so that the profession can develop competent, engaged and enthusiastic doctors equipped to meet the challenges of the future.