Skip to content
Login Register

College community pays tribute to leading light in anatomy education

01 Jun 2023

The College community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Stuart McDonald, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and Professor of Forensic and Clinical Anatomy at the University of Glasgow.

The College community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Stuart McDonald, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and Professor of Forensic and Clinical Anatomy at the University of Glasgow.

During his distinguished academic career, Professor McDonald taught and inspired countless students and played a pivotal role in the College’s surgical exams and education.

He was the lead anatomist on the Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and played a major role in the MRCS exams for many years. In previous years, he was an examiner for the MFDS exam, as well as contributing to the development of anatomy questions.

He was also a member of the College’s Heritage Committee from 2006 to 2018, where he contributed to significant improvements to the library and heritage, including the award of museum accreditation in 2015.

Mike McKirdy, President of the College, said: “Stuart had a long relationship with the College and was well-known and respected across dentistry and surgery. He was a dedicated teacher of anatomy and will be remembered fondly by generations of students.

“He was heavily involved in our Clinical Anatomy Skills Centre, which brings together expertise from the College and the University of Glasgow in the simulation of surgical skills. He also played an important role in supporting and promoting our heritage as a Royal College.

“His passing is a sad loss to the College community, and to those he worked with and taught.”

Professor McDonald grew up in Dumfriesshire before studying Medicine in Glasgow, taking an intercalated degree in anatomy during his undergraduate studies. After a short period of clinical practice, he returned to the anatomy department, undertaking a PhD. He became a Professor of the University of Glasgow in 2018.

He was an Honorary Secretary of the British Association of Clinical Anatomists, and became editor of its academic journal, Clinical Anatomy. He later became president of the Association in 2014.

Professor McDonald’s expertise in Forensic Anatomy was also used to assist Police Scotland, and the University of Glasgow’s Forensic Anatomy department.

Professor Christine Goodall, Dean of the College’s Faculty of Dental Surgery, said: “Stuart was a great friend to the College. Since we learned of his passing, we have been overwhelmed by the warm comments and messages we have received, both from his former students, and from those who worked with him.

“Stuart will be remembered with fondness as both a teacher and an expert in his field, as well as for his warm personality and inspirational drawings. He really was one of a kind.”

Category: College


Share this story:

Latest news and statements

Key priority areas

Workforce Recovery and Transformation
Health services in many parts of the world are over-stretched due to workforce shortages, rising demand for services and difficulties in retaining staff.
Read more
Wellbeing
A healthy healthcare workforce is essential for patient care. When the workforce is exhausted, experiencing burnout, and struggling to balance their work and personal lives, it impacts on everyone.
Read more
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to standing up for equality, diversity and inclusion. We want our College to reflect the diversity in the NHS workforce and in the patients that we care for.
Read more
Climate Change and Sustainability
Climate change has caused great harm to our planet and warnings of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding will all place a significant burden on our health outcomes.
Read more
Health Inequalities
The health inequalities in our society have been both highlighted and exacerbated by the covid pandemic. There is a need to do things differently.
Read more
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of healthcare professionals, and the urgent need to learn whilemfocusing on delivering the best care for our patients has been an enormous challenge.
Read more

Topics


Archive


Key links



Contact us

rcpsg@grayling.com
07714307976

Log in

Log in to access your Dashboard, book events, pay your subscriptions and access eLearning material.

Log in

Register an account

New users must register before logging in. You do not need to be a member of the College in order to register.

Register

Help

Having difficulty registering or logging in? Forgotten your username or password?

Get Help