Professor Hagan began his career in academia as a PhD student at the University of Glasgow. On completion of his PhD he joined the Medical Research Council Unit at Fajara, The Gambia, in 1981, to begin research on the immunology and epidemiology of human schistosomiasis (a disease caused by a parasitic worm disease which affects hundreds of millions of people in tropical countries around the globe). He continued this work when he moved to join the National Institute for Medical Research in London, developing partnerships with researchers in Egypt, Zimbabwe and many other countries in sub-Sharan Africa.
Professor Hagan is an Advisor to the World Health Organisation on Parasitic Diseases and currently chairs the WHO Guidelines Development Group (GDG) for the control and elimination of schistosomiasis. He holds Honorary Membership of the British Society for Parasitology and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy.
He joins the University of Hull after five years at Robert Gordon University, where he was Vice-Principal (Research) and Deputy Principal. Prior to that, he was Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Further and Higher Education Council, where he made many contributions, including establishing Scotland’s Innovation Centre Programme.
Professor Hagan’s career also spans twenty years in various roles at the University of Glasgow, as Head of the Division of Infection and Immunity and Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences. Between 1995-1998, he was seconded from Glasgow to the European Commission in Brussels where he had responsibility for the Parasitology portfolio within the International Cooperation with Developing Countries Programme (INCO-DC).
The University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, which has cutting-edge teaching and learning facilities, is home to Hull York Medical School and the departments of Biomedical Sciences; Midwifery and Child Health; Nursing; Paramedical, Perioperative and Advanced Practice; Psychological Health, Wellbeing and Social Work; Psychology; Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences.
The Faculty carries out world-leading research to tackle some of the biggest health challenges facing society and is a major contributor to the region's healthcare workforce. Its graduates include doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics and other health workers, as well as social workers, psychologists, biomedical scientists and sports scientists.
Professor Hagan said: “There is no doubt that graduates from the Faculty of Health Sciences are making an important contribution to the health of the region.
“As a Faculty, we are also addressing health inequalities and the well-being of society as a whole through high-calibre research. Our world-leading research hub, the Institute of Clinical and Applied Health Research (ICAHR), brings together a range of specialist research groups from cancer care to cardiology to drive improvements to healthcare.
Professor Hagan is looking forward to new challenges and getting to know Hull and Yorkshire. He said: “I have arrived at a challenging time for the University, the city and the region.
“In the weeks since I arrived, I have been hugely impressed by the willingness and determination of people from organisations across the region to combine their efforts to make a difference by improving the health and wellbeing of the people and supporting economic development.
“I have had a tremendously warm reception from everyone I have met, even if only online. Already I feel at home and I am sure I am going to enjoy living and working in Hull.”