The General Medical Council announced the appointment of Professor Pushpinder Mangat as its new Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards which he is scheduled to join in 2025, after undergoing a competitive recruitment process by Gatenby Sanderson. This happens when he will assume duty concurrently with the present incumbent, Professor Colin Melville, who retires in June 2025.
Professor Mangat is an experienced doctor who has both clinical medicine and medical education. He brings a lot of experience to the GMC. He is currently serving as Deputy Chief Medical Officer in Wales, where he has focused on medical and broader clinical education. Prof Mangat has had all along in his career held several senior medical positions, predominantly intensive care medicine and neuroanaesthesia, with the background of training in all five of Llanelli, Swansea, Cardiff, Birmingham, and Cambridge.
Mangat graduated as a doctor from the University of Birmingham in 1983. He started his career in general medicine and anaesthesia before moving into intensive care. His leadership positions include working as Deputy Medical Director in Swansea from 2011 until 2018 and then as the first Medical Director for Health Education and Improvement Wales, a new Special Health Authority, until May 2024. He then was appointed as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales, with a remit that included providing strategic direction for medical education and clinical practice.
GMC Chief Executive Charlie Massey welcomed Professor Mangat’s appointment, saying that his long experience will be instrumental in defining the mission of the GMC to ensure that doctors, physician associates, and anaesthesia associates across the UK meet high standards and professional expectations. He also highlighted that the experience in medical education would be necessary to ensure that all regulated professionals are provided with training to deliver quality, safe patient care. Professor Mangat said he was very excited to be a part of it and was looking forward to contributing to the development of medical education and career progression for GMC registrants.
