An important feature of YCC Scotland, Centre for Adverse Reactions to Drugs (Scotland) is its national character. To promote and develop ADR reporting strategies and pharmacovigilance in Scotland, we have established an advisory group to reflect the different professional interests in this area. The group meets twice a year.

Terms of Reference

Click here to see the Terms of Reference for the Advisory Group.

The functions of the Advisory Group are:

  1. Highlight to YCC Scotland issues relating to medicines safety in Scotland
  2. Advise YCC Scotland on how best to enhance the quality and quantity of spontaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reports in Scotland
  3. Support YCC Scotland in raising the profile of ADRs reporting in Scotland through initiatives in undergraduate and postgraduate education, and in continuing professional development activities for clinicians
  4. Support YCC Scotland in developing research initiatives in the areas of pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology
  5. Provide peer review of official reports, strategies, and other documents developed by YCC Scotland
  6. Support YCC Scotland in developing and maintaining collaboration with key agencies in Scotland that have a direct interest in improving medicines safety
  7. Support YCC Scotland in raising awareness of the Yellow Card Scheme among members of the public

Advisory Group Members

Yvonne Semple: Chair

Yvonne Semple is Director of Pharmacy at the NHS Golden Jubilee Hospital. The hospital is a major centre for regional and national heart and lung services, orthopaedics and other key specialties. Yvonne has significant experience of leading a pharmacy team and her research interests include safe prescribing through guideline development and implementation. She was awarded a Chief Scientists’ Office / Scottish Infection Research Network Doctoral fellowship and is currently completing her PhD with the University of Strathclyde.


Yvonne is currently a member of the Scottish Medicines Consortium and has a keen interest in health technology appraisal.

Professor Thomas MacDonald

Tom MacDonald is Professor of Clinicai Pharmacology & Pharmacoepidemlology at the University of Dundee and Honorary Consultant Physician at Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee, Scotland, UK. He is also the Director of the Medicines Monitoring Unit (MEMO Research) and the Hypertension Research Centre (HRC) within the Medical School at the University. He is the Co-Chair of the European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCePP).

Currently, he is the principal investigator of a large, multi-national, multi-centre streamlined safety study, Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Safety Trial (FAST). He is also the Pl for the Treatment ln the Morning versus Evening (TIME) study which has randomised >21,000 patients. He is active in a number of learned societies and past president of both the British & lrish Hypertension Society (BIHS) and the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE).

He has published extensively on hypertension, cardiovascular disorders and safety of medicines, especially the safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Professor James McLay

Dr McLay is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Aberdeen and holds the position of Honorary Consultant for NHS Grampian.

Dr McLay’s particular research interests include: Paediatric Adverse Drug Reporting and Long-term sequelae following in utero drug exposure.

Jane Harris

Jane Harris, is Programme Director for Postgraduate and post-registration education and continuing professional development for nurses, midwives and allied health professions at NHS Education for Scotland.

Jane is a nurse and has worked in a variety of posts in practice, policy and education. She has taken a lead role in the introduction, establishment and continuing development of non-medical prescribing in Scotland.

Sue Cole

Sue has been extensively involved in community work for the past 23 years and gained an MBE for her services to the community in 2005. Sue has first hand experience of living with a disability, and using this experience has identified areas which she feels could have improved her life and potentially those of others in a similar position – she understands the difficulties that not having access to help and advice can have and is passionate about supporting others to get the help and advice they require.

Sue is a current Scottish Ambassador for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and is a member of the Tayside Public Partners Forum for Medicine, representing the forum at the NHS Tayside Area Drugs and Therapies Committee and NHS Tayside Realistic Medicines Group.