Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Scott
Nelson

BSc · MBChB · PhD · MRCOG
Advancing the science & practice of reproductive medicine — from bench to bedside, across continents.
Academic
Muirhead Professor, University of Glasgow
Clinical
Medical Director, Oxford Medical Kuwait
Advisory
Medical Director, Access Fertility  ·  Scientific Advisor, HFEA & TFP
Medico-legal
Expert Witness — CPR Part 35 · DRSMN Ltd
About 01 — Biography

Based between the University of Glasgow and Kuwait, providing global expertise in reproductive medicine — with a research programme cited more than 39,000 times.

For twenty years I have held the Muirhead Chair of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Glasgow, leading a research group whose work on ovarian reserve, maternal health and assisted reproduction has informed guidelines from the HFEA, NICE and the ESHRE.

In parallel, I hold the medical directorship of Oxford Medical Kuwait — a tertiary fertility and obstetrics service — and, as Medical Director of Access Fertility, oversee multi-cycle refund programmes across partnered UK clinics.

Alongside this, I act as an instructed expert witness under CPR Part 35 through DRSMN Ltd, with opinion work in fertility treatment, obstetric injury and gynaecological care.

SpecialtyObstetrics & Gynaecology · Reproductive Medicine
GMCFull registration · Specialist Register
MembershipsMRCOG · ESHRE · ASRM
LanguagesEnglish · Khaleeji Arabic (clinical)
BasedGlasgow, UK  ·  Kuwait City, KW
InsuranceMDDUS (medico-legal)
Global Academic Impact

A body of work that has shaped the field.

0
Scientific Citations
Indexed across Scopus & Google Scholar.
0+
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Journal articles, reviews & book chapters.
H-index0
Top 1% Worldwide
Sustained influence across reproductive medicine & obstetrics.
Appointments 03 — Practice & Academia

Two institutions. One continuous practice.

University of Glasgow
Muirhead Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Since 2008 · School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing

Glasgow is the intellectual base. The research group — supervising doctoral students from the UK and Gulf — uses Scottish Morbidity Records linked to national datasets to examine maternal and child outcomes following assisted conception, obesity, and diabetes in pregnancy.

The appointment also provides liaison with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, and, through the Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic, a private University of Glasgow / NHS partnership offering IVF to existing patients.

  • PhD supervision — maternal & child outcomes
  • AMH nomogram — externally validated
  • SMR-linked observational studies
  • Grant-funded trials & pharmacovigilance
  • Co-supervision with Public Health & Statistics
  • NHS GGC clinical liaison
Oxford Medical · Kuwait
Medical Director
Fertility · Obstetrics · Delivery — the full continuum

Oxford Medical is the only clinic in Kuwait with a world-class clinical academic at its helm. The service spans consultation, stimulation, IVF/ICSI, PGT, frozen transfer, early pregnancy, antenatal care and delivery — with a bilingual (English / Arabic) clinical toolset hosted on oxmedkw.app.

Practice is shared clinically with Dr Karema Alrashid; consultations are delivered in Khaleeji Arabic where preferred. Expertise in follicular activation and recurrent implantation failure.

  • Bespoke stimulation & FET protocols
  • IVF consultation with AMH nomogram
  • Ultrasound & Orthanc DICOM integration
  • Prescription system — 6,157 Kuwait MOH drugs
  • Antenatal record & EDD calculator
  • Cost estimator & hospital forms
Selected Publications 04 — A reading list

Papers that have changed how we practice.

A selection drawn from the highest-impact general-medical and specialty journals — work that has shaped IVF practice, obstetric risk prediction and, most recently, the use of machine learning in reproductive medicine.

2026
Modelling follicular growth during ovarian stimulation using agent-based artificial intelligence.
Hramyka A, Kelsey TW, Hanassab S, Nelson SM, Yeung AC, Saravelos S, Salim R, Comninos AN, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Voliotis M, Trew GH, Heinis T, Dhillo WS, Abbara A. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 111(3):615–621.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.
2025
Explainable artificial intelligence to identify follicles that optimize clinical outcomes during assisted conception.
Hanassab S, Nelson SM, Akbarov A, Yeung AC, Hramyka A, Alhamwi T, Salim R, Comninos AN, Trew GH, Kelsey TW, Heinis T, Dhillo WS, Abbara A. Nat Commun 16(1):296.
Nature Communications
2024
Deep learning versus manual morphology-based embryo selection in IVF: a randomized, double-blind non-inferiority trial.
Illingworth PJ, Venetis C, Gardner DK, Nelson SM, Berntsen J, Larman MG, …, Hardarson T. Nat Med 30(11):3114–3120.
Nature Medicine
2024
The prospect of artificial intelligence to personalize assisted reproductive technology.
Hanassab S, Abbara A, Yeung AC, Voliotis M, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Kelsey TW, …, Dhillo WS. npj Digit Med 7(1):55.
npj Digital Medicine
2022
Association between maternal thyroid function and risk of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia: systematic review & individual-participant data meta-analysis.
Toloza FJK, Derakhshan A, Männistö T, Bliddal S, Popova PV, Carty DM, …, Maraka S. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 10(4):243–252.
Lancet D&E
2018
Maternal thyroid function and child educational attainment: prospective cohort study.
Nelson SM, Haig C, McConnachie A, Sattar N, Ring SM, Smith GD, …, Lindsay RS. BMJ 360:k452.
BMJ
2015
Live-birth rate associated with repeat in vitro fertilization treatment cycles.
Smith ADAC, Tilling K, Nelson SM, Lawlor DA. JAMA 314(24):2654–2662.
JAMA
2015
Effect of a behavioural intervention in obese pregnant women (the UPBEAT study): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.
Poston L, Bell R, Croker H, Flynn AC, Godfrey KM, Goff L, …, Briley AL. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 3(10):767–777.
Lancet D&E
2014
Apgar score and the risk of cause-specific infant mortality: a population-based cohort study.
Iliodromiti S, Mackay DF, Smith GCS, Pell JP, Nelson SM. Lancet 384(9956):1749–1755.
The Lancet
2012
Effect of age on decisions about the numbers of embryos to transfer in assisted conception: a prospective study.
Lawlor DA, Nelson SM. Lancet 379(9815):521–527.
The Lancet

A ten-paper selection across Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, The Lancet, JAMA, BMJ and Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology — work that has shaped IVF practice, obstetric risk prediction and the use of machine learning in reproductive medicine.

Full publication list on Google Scholar
Media & Press 05 — In the conversation

A trusted voice across leading media.

Commentary and long-form contribution on reproductive health, fertility policy, and maternal medicine — for print, broadcast, and online.

BBC
The Times
The Guardian
The Telegraph
NY Times
WSJ
CNN
CNBC
TIME
GQ
VOGUE
NAT GEO
Speaking & Advisory 06 — Policy & industry

Advising the bodies that regulate and develop the field.

Regulator

Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority

Scientific Advisor. Guidance on novel fertility technologies, clinical performance and outcomes reporting for the UK regulator.

Network

The Fertility Partnership

Scientific Advisor. Monthly R/Python KPI pipeline producing interpretive PDF reports benchmarked against Vienna Consensus and US percentile distributions.

Access

Access Fertility

Medical Director. Multi-cycle refund programmes and patient-risk modelling across partnered UK clinics.

Industry

Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Advisory outputs on recombinant gonadotrophin strategy, trial design and real-world evidence.

Industry

Roche Diagnostics

Reproductive biomarker development and assay positioning — AMH, progesterone, hCG.

Industry

Merck Serono

Advisory work on stimulation pharmacology, real-world outcomes, and digital fertility tools.

Expert Witness · DRSMN Ltd 07 — Medico-legal

Impartial expert opinion, to CPR Part 35.

Instructed opinion work in fertility, obstetrics and gynaecology — delivered through DRSMN Ltd, with professional indemnity through MDDUS. Reports are structured, evidence-led and never advocate for either party.

Scope & approach

  • Clinical scopeFertility · Obstetrics · Gynaecology
  • Report standardCPR Part 35 · SJE compliant
  • JurisdictionsScotland · England & Wales
  • Instruction typeClaimant · Defendant · SJE
  • IndemnityMDDUS
  • EntityDRSMN Ltd

Recent instruction areas

Testicular torsion & orchidectomy — causation & fertility sequelae.
RTA sequelae affecting reproductive function & pregnancy.
Fertility treatment disruption — IVF cycle management & outcomes.
Obstetric injury & maternal morbidity — causation analysis.
Gynaecological surgery — consent, technique & complication.

To instruct → contact via this site · credentials cited as BSc MBChB PhD MRCOG.

Get in touch 08 — Contact
Correspondence,
welcomed.
Direct — University of Glasgow Scott.nelson@glasgow.ac.uk
Academic post School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
University of Glasgow · G12 8QQ
Clinical — Kuwait Oxford Medical · Kuwait City