Professor Ashley Blom appointed Vice-President and Dean of FBMH

Dear all, 

I am delighted to share with you that after an extensive and rigorous global search, Professor Ashley Blom has been appointed as the new Vice-President and Dean for the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, taking up the role on 1 March. 

Ashley joins us from The University of Sheffield where he is Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Health. In this role, Ashley has helped Sheffield deliver outstanding student experiences, with the university ranking highest in the NSS rankings for 2023 and 2024, and the Faculty of Health above the mean for the university. Ashley is deeply dedicated to fostering a supportive and high performing work environment, and in previous roles has championed initiatives in employee relations, promoted career progression and making meaningful progress in equality, diversity and inclusion.  

Consistently ranked in the top 10 in the world, and first outside of the USA for his research in arthroplasty (joint replacement), Ashley’s research has informed the national guidance on joint replacement and many of his papers,including his impact case study, were assessed as world-leading for REF2021. 

Ashley holds the contract to analyse the National Joint Registry for the UK, and has advised the Spanish and Italian governments, along with the Dutch Orthopaedic Association on establishing their own arthroplasty registries. 

Together with his academic and research activities, Ashley also holds the position as Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Non-Executive Director, both at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  

Elected as Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2018, Ashley is a member of the Medical Schools Council and a member of several boards and committees, including the External Scientific Advisory Board to the Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, the Committee of the Evaluation of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Research Council of Norway, and until recently the Steering Committee for the National Joint Registry for 11 years. 

Professor Blom said: “It is a privilege to join The University of Manchester and I am excited to join a university and a faculty dedicated to creating a dynamic research and teaching environment that reflects a fast-changing world. I bring a strong commitment to delivering outstanding experiences and outcomes for students, creating the conditions for staff to do their best work, and working with partners to make impactful contributions to society.” 

As I welcome Ashley, I also want to extend my deepest thanks to Allan Pacey. Allan joined the University as Deputy Dean of FBMH in August 2023 and, the following year added the responsibilities of Interim Vice President and Dean to his role. His outstanding leadership and guidance have ensured that the Faculty has remained focused on delivering its strategic objectives. He has also made an outstanding contribution to the Senior Leadership Team. He has our deepest thanks and appreciation for doing so.  

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Ashley.  

Duncan