History of the Public Health Sciences section
An academic department of the University for the teaching of public health was founded in 1902, as one of the first academic departments of Public Health in a British University.
Prior to the establishment of a department for the teaching of public health, a chair in public health was established, in 1898, the John Bruce Usher Chair of Public Health.
This was succeeded in 1902 by the opening of a new building for the teaching of public health, the forerunner of Public Health Sciences. This was to be known as the Usher Institute of Public Health.
Over the years the name of the Department has changed from time to time. In 1944, the name was changed to "Public Health and Social Medicine". In 1964, "Public Health" was dropped from the title, then in 1974 the Department was renamed "Community Medicine". In 1987 the Department was integrated with the Medical Statistics Unit to form the Department of Public Health Sciences, housed within the main Medical Building.
In 1998, restructuring within the University led to the Department of Public Health Sciences (PHS) becoming a section Section within the newly-formed Division of Community Health Sciences.
In 2010 the Division of CHS, and the section of PHS within it, disappeared, subsumed into the Centre for Population Health Sciences.
The heads of Public Health Sciences have been:
| Professor Charles Hunter Stewart | 1898 - 1924 |
| Professor Brevet Colonel Percy Samuel Lelean | 1925 - 1944 |
| Professor Brigadier Francis A.E. Crew | 1944 - 1955 |
| Professor John Howie Flint Brotherston | 1955 - 1964 |
| Professor Stuart Love Morrison | 1964 - 1975 |
| Professor Sir John Howie Flint Brotherston | 1977 - 1980 |
| Professor William Michael Garraway | 1983 - 1997 |
| Professor Gerry Fowkes | 1997 - 2000 |
| Professor Gordon Murray | 2000 - 2003 |
| Professor Harry Campbell | 2003 - 2007 |
| Professor Amanda Amos | 2007 - 2010 |
