Sir Harry Burns to step down as chief medical officer 23 January 2014 Last updated at 01:46 Scotland's chief medical officer is to leave the Scottish government for a post specialising in health inequalities. Sir Harry Burns has been Scotland's Chief Medical Officer since 2005. He is to become Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde. Health Secretary Alex Neil said Sir Harry had made a "significant contribution" to health across Scotland. His new position, which Sir Harry is due to take up in April, will see him focusing on health inequalities. He will work closely with the International Prevention Research Institute (iPRI) in Lyon, France. Sir Harry said: "It has been a pleasure working with the Scottish government over the past eight years, but it is time to hand over to a new chief medical officer. I have enjoyed the challenges over the past eight years, and I have had the opportunity to do a lot of work around health inequalities. I am looking forward to being able to develop my interest in health inequalities further, and continuing to contribute towards building a better public health landscape. Mr Neil said: "I would like to thank Sir Harry for the significant contribution he has made to health across Scotland. Over the past eight years, Sir Harry has provided leadership in a range of areas, from leading the response to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009, to providing health advice about Legionnaires disease. In particular, Sir Harry has brought a renewed focus to the issue of health inequalities within Scotland, and I am delighted that his new role will enable him to continue his focus in this area. It has been a pleasure working with Sir Harry and I wish him every luck for the future. The Scottish government said it was currently considering the arrangement for recruiting Sir Harry's successor.