Professor Purdy will be responsible for promoting a positive student experience and wellbeing across the University, leading on strategic student wellbeing developments and providing academic leadership in relation to student engagement and student inclusion initiatives. She will take up the role in April.

Professor Purdy is currently Head of the Bristol Medical School at the University of Bristol and was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences from 2015 to 2017. Over the past 25 years she has combined her clinical career with education and research at Bristol, Harvard, Newcastle, Hull and York Universities and leadership in the NHS. She has designed and delivered multidisciplinary postgraduate programmes and contributed to the development of undergraduate education at Hull York Medical School (HYMS) and the new MB21 curriculum at Bristol. Professor Purdy also leads a research programme exploring predictors of, and interventions for, unscheduled care use and avoidable hospital admissions.

Professor Purdy said: "I am excited by the opportunities and challenges of this new role. My aim will be to deliver an integrated approach across the University, building on the expertise, services and partnerships we have in place to generate and implement developments in student wellbeing, inclusion and engagement.”

Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the University of Bristol, said: "I am delighted with Sarah's appointment to this newly-created and crucially important leadership role at Bristol. Sarah’s experience across a broad range of academic, clinical and leadership roles makes her ideally placed to lead on student wellbeing, inclusion and engagement. I am confident that Sarah will secure the University of Bristol as an exemplar of excellent student experience. I look forward to working closely with her over the years ahead."