Dr Catherine Calderwood profile: Who is Scotland's former Chief Medical Officer?

Belfast-born Dr Catherine Calderwood has held the role of chief medical officer (CMO) of Scotland since March 2015 until she resigned on Sunday.

Dr Calderwood stepped down following two lockdown visits to her second home, trips which were against her own advice and angered the public.

She succeeded Sir Harry Burns, after around a year as deputy to the acting CMO, Dr Aileen Keil, who had been covering the role since Sir Harry’s retirement.

Image of Dr Catherine Calderwood who has been removed as the face of the SNP government NHS campaigns, but will keep her role as adviser - Scotland's chief medical officer has apologised "unreservedly" for visiting her second home in Fife during the coronavirus lockdown. Dr Catherine Calderwood said she would continue to focus on her job. She is facing mounting criticism after pictures of her family trip to Earlsferry were published in The Scottish Sun. There have been calls for her to step down over the matter with MSPs describing her position as "untenable". Together with Nicola Sturgeon, Dr Calderwood has been leading calls for the public to stay at home to defeat the virus. In a statement issued on Sunday she said: "While there are reasons for what I did, they do not justify it and they were not legitimate reasons to be out of my home. "While I and my family followed the guidance on social distancing at all times, I understand that I did not follow the advice I am giving to others, and I am truly sorry for that. "I know how important this advice is and I do not want my mistake to distract from that. "I have a job to do as chief medical officer to provide advice to ministers on the path of this virus and to support the medical profession as they work night and day to save lives, and having spoken with the first minister this morning I will continue to focus entirely on that job." PICTURE: SNP/UNPIXS (EUROPE) 05/04/2020 | Universal News & Sport (Europe)

A graduate of Cambridge University’s Newnham College, as well as Glasgow University, she is a trained consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.

As a junior doctor she worked in medical specialities in Glasgow Royal Infirmary and at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. She has a number of impressive medical accolades, including an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, while she is also a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

She first became a medical adviser to the Scottish Government in 2010 and is said to have been instrumental in the work in reducing stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Scotland and in reducing avoidable harm in maternity services.

Aged 51, she is married with three children and is believed to live in Edinburgh’s West End.

When Dr Calderwood was appointed as CMO in 2015 the role had been advertised at a salary of circa £125,000

Dr Gregor Smith will step up from deputy CMO to take over her duties.

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