Forrester Cockburn (born 13 October 1934) is a British

Paediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their yout ...

and

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

professor at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. Cockburn is most notable for conducting research into fetal/neonatal nutrition and brain biochemistry, inherited

metabolic diseases A metabolic disorder is a disorder that negatively alters the body's processing and distribution of macronutrients, such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Metabolic disorders can happen when abnormal chemical reactions in the body alter the ...

and Pediatric

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

. Cockburn was awarded the prestigious

James Spence Medal James Spence Medal is a medal that was first struck in 1960, six years after the death of the paediatrician James Calvert Spence and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the advancement or clarification of paediatric knowledge and is the hi ...

in 1998.

Life

Cockburn's early education was at

Leith Academy Leith Academy is a state school in Leith, Edinburgh. It currently educates around 1000 pupils and around 2,800 part-time adult learners. Mike Irving has been head teacher since August 2017. History It is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, wi ...

. In 1959 Cockburn graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, with an

MB ChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

, later gaining a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

with honours (

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

) in 1966 with a thesis titled: ''Phenylalanine: its role in infant nutrition and disease''. Cockburn married Alison Fisher Née Grieve on 15 January 1960 and has two sons, David Forrester and John Roger.

Career

Cockburn's junior house positions were held the

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) was established in 1729, and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on, the Empire."In Com ...

and the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion. In 1961, Cockburn was promoted to paediatric registrar at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion Edinburgh. In 1963, Cockburn moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, on a Huntington-Hartford Research Foundation Fellowship in

Pediatric Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

Metabolic Disease A metabolic disorder is a disorder that negatively alters the body's processing and distribution of macronutrients, such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Metabolic disorders can happen when abnormal chemical reactions in the body alter the ...

, taking a position as a

medical resident Residency or postgraduate training is a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician (one who holds the degree of MD, DO, MBBS/MBChB), veterinarian ( DVM/VMD, BVSc/BVMS), dentist ( DDS or DMD), podiatrist ( DPM), o ...

at the

Boston City Hospital The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and ...

, and the

University of Boston Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, achieving the

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates According to the US Department of Education, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is "the authorized credential evaluation and guidance agency for non-U.S. physicians and graduates of non-U.S. medical schools who seek ...

certification. In 1965, Cockburn moved to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, being appointed as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

to study

Perinatal asphyxia Perinatal asphyxia (also known as neonatal asphyxia or birth asphyxia) is the medical condition resulting from deprivation of oxygen to a newborn infant that lasts long enough during the birth process to cause physical harm, usually to the bra ...

. This was followed, by a year spent as a Nuffield Senior Research Fellow in Neonatal and Foetal Physiology at the

Nuffield Institute for Medical Research Nuffield may refer to: *William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, founder of Oxford-based Morris Motors and philanthropist *Nuffield, Oxfordshire, a village in Oxfordshire, England and home of William Richard Morris from which he chose his title, Visc ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. From 1966 to 1971, Cockburn returned to work at University of Edinburgh as a

senior research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

. In 1971, he was appointed to the position of Senior lecturer in the Department of Child Health at Edinburgh. From 1977 Cockburn held the

Samson Gemmell Samson Gemmell Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, FRFPS (1848 – 2 April 1913) was a Scottish pediatrics, paediatrician who became Regius Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics#Practice of Medicine Regius Professors, Regius Pr ...

Chair of Child Health at the University of Glasgow. Cockburn was preceded by

James Holmes Hutchison James Holmes Hutchison (born 16 April 1912 – died 27 December 1987) was a Scottish paediatrician and Samson Gemmell Professor of Child Heath at Glasgow University from 1961 to 1977. From 1977 onwards he was Professor of Child Health at th ...

. Cockburn resigned the chair in 1996. From 1997 to 2001, Cockburn was chairman of the

Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow The West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital is a healthcare facility in Yorkhill, Glasgow. The new ambulatory care facility was created in December 2015 to house the remaining outpatient services and the minor injury unit previously housed at the ...

NHS Trust in

Yorkhill Yorkhill () is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the West End of the city. It is known for its famous hospitals and remains the location of the West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital. The Kel ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital closure

On 9 December 2003, in an interview with

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

, in relation to the decision by

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern Ireland) which was create ...

board to move the Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital, with its maternity unit and the

to the

Queen Elizabeth University Hospital The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) is a 1,677-bed acute hospital located in Govan, in the south-west of Glasgow, Scotland. The hospital is built on the site of the former Southern General Hospital and opened at the end of April 2015 ...

campus on the Southside of

, Professor Cockburn who vehemently opposed the move, stated: :''manifest nonsense'' to move the hospital and the only reason to close was to save money. Cockburn further stated: :''They are going to destroy 40 years of work building up

as a unique centre for treating mothers and babies. If the Queen Mother's closes, they will destroy Yorkhill’s service for very young babies.

Neonatologists Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The ...

- the doctors who treat them - will scatter. No neonatologist will stay at a hospital where babies are not born. They will not be able to keep up their skill and expertise.''

Bibliography

Cockburn has written more than 200 books and articles. The following is his most popular books and cited papers: * Neonatal Medicine., Forrester Cockburn; Cecil M Drillien. Oxford,London : Blackwell Scientific Publications., 1974 * Inborn errors of metabolism in humans : monograph based upon proceedings of the international symposium held in

Interlaken Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss ...

, September 2–5, 1980., Forrester Cockburn; Richard Gitzelmann. Lancaster : MTP Press., 1982 * Children : a handbook for children's doctors.,Forrester Cockburn; Oliver Peter Gray. London : Pitman, 1984. * Practical paediatric problems., James H Hutchison; Forrester Cockburn. Singapore : PG Publishing Pte, 1986. * Fetal and neonatal growth., Forrester Cockburn. Chichester :

John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Publishing, publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company was founded in 1807 and pr ...

, 1988 * The lipid story : new pieces in the jigsaw : proceedings of a Milupa symposium held in September 1993 at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK., Forrester Cockburn.

Macmillan Press Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains offi ...

, 1994 * Advances in perinatal medicine : proceedings of the XV European Congress of Perinatal Medicine,

, September 1996., Forrester Cockburn. New York : Parthenon, 1997 * Children's medicine and surgery., Forrester Cockburn; et al. Arnold, 1999. * Cultured Cell and Inherited Metabolic Disease : Monograph Based Upon., R Angus Harkness; Forrester Cockburn. Dordrecht :

Springer Netherlands Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 in ...

, 2012.

Awards and honours

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

1996 for services to children and medicine. *

1996 *

The Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockburn, Forrester 1934 births Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the James Spence Medal Living people 20th-century English medical doctors Medical doctors from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People educated at Leith Academy Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh British paediatricians Scottish medical researchers Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire