Professor John Henderson Memorial Event
Friday 14th October - Wills Hall; Saturday 15th October - Priory Road Complex
The Medical School at the University of Bristol is holding a two day event in memory of Professor John Henderson.
John will be remembered by many as an extremely well liked and hugely respected Consultant Paediatrician in Bristol, who tragically passed away in 2019. He qualified as a doctor in Manchester and first came to Bristol in 1986 as a Research Fellow in Child Health where he developed his interest in Respiratory Medicine in children and worked in Clinical Paediatrics.
In 1993, John was appointed as a Consultant Paediatrician in Southmead Hospital and a couple of years later moved to an academic position at University of Bristol as Consultant Senior Lecturer in Child Health. He became Professor in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine in 2009.
From his early career research based on understanding the physiology of the respiratory system in children and infants, he began to focus more on asthma as his main research interest and developed expertise in the epidemiology of asthma and allergy in children. His clinical work also moved in this direction and John’s commitment to treating children who were very ill is reflected in his practice as a Consultant not only in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine but also in Neonatal Medicine and Paediatric Intensive Care.
From the late 1990’s, John’s contribution to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents & Children (ALSPAC) became increasingly significant both in his leadership and research. He focused on identifying different phenotypes of asthma in early childhood and how genetics and environments influence their development. Through the ALSPAC cohort John also made substantial contributions to international collaborations to conduct genome wide association studies, known as GWAS, of asthma and allergies. He provided crucial support in the renewal of ALSPAC and his influence on research through the study will continue for many years.
In recent years, John moved away from clinical practice and became more involved in medical education at the University of Bristol. With Eugene Lloyd he was appointed to lead a review that would create a curriculum fit for educating doctors who would practice medicine in the 21st century. Launched in 2017, MB21 is an acclaimed programme which has led to an excellent GMC report for the Medical School, much improved student satisfaction and a place in the higher reaches of the league tables.
We will celebrate John’s achievements in research in a Festschrift on Friday 14th October and in his clinical and medical education work in a half day event on Saturday 15th October.
Follow each of these links for more information and to register for either or both of these two parts of the event.
The event programme (PDF, 190kB) is now available.
If you have any queries about this event, please contact brms-office@bristol.ac.uk.
