Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

J. PATRICK BARRON

2019; Wiley; Volume: 24; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/resp.13721

1440-1843

Philip J. Thompson,

Ethics in medical practice

J. Patrick Barron Patrick was involved with the Journal from its earliest days and despite all of his other interests he seemed to be always available to support the Journal, the Asian Pacific Society for Respirology (APSR) and the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) in their endeavours. He was the perfect conduit for communication and relationship building between the strong Japanese engagement in the Journal and APSR and the rest of the members of the Asia Pacific region. The challenges of engaging with multiple countries and cultures in the early years of the Journal were not insignificant and he generously helped advance the Journal's cause in such a setting. For these reasons and more he was an ex officio member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Pacific Society for Respirology. Patrick was born in Scotland, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to study Japanese in Japan in 1969. His graduate studies consisted of the history of ancient Japanese and the history of Kyogen, medieval Japanese comic drama. After completing his four years of study of Japanese at the International Christian University, he undertook a Ph.D. at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. He was inspired to become involved in medical writing following his exposure to Professor Yoshihiro Hayata of Tokyo Medical University who was a senior member of the Japan Surgical Society as well as the Japanese Respiratory Society. Patrick first proposed the idea of a communications centre for a medical school in 1975. In 1980, he was appointed as an Associate Professor at St. Marianna University School of Medicine where he taught English focused on English for Medical Purposes. In 1991, he assumed the post of Professor at Tokyo Medical University, directing the International Medical Communications Centre there, the first in Asia. Here he provided support to Tokyo University staff submitting and resubmitting papers. In 2007 he was Vice Chairman of the Japan Society for Medical English Education and prompted the establishment of the first national medical testing of English competence for medical professionals in Japan. He also helped found the first English and Japanese bilingual free medical communications website www.ronbun.jp. He was made an Adjunct Professor of Seoul National University in 2010. In 2014 he was awarded the Howard Swanberg Medal for contributions to medical communications. Patrick was eclectic in nature and was a member of the Editorial Board for Chest and an Editor or an Editorial consultant for a wide range of journals including the Journal of Gastroenterology, Breast Cancer, the Journal of Bronchology, Respirology, the Journal of the Japanese Society for Respiratory Tract Endoscopy, Allergology International, the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, and the Journal of the Japanese Society for Geriatrics amongst others. APSR Executive Meeting, Singapore July 1997. Standing (L to R): Sow-Hsong Kuo, Yoshinosuke Fukuchi, Hadiarto Mangunnegoro, Aziah Ahmad Mahayiddin, J Patrick Barron, Norbert Berend, Wan-Cheng Tan, J Paul Seale, Suchai Charoenratanakul, YoungSoo Shim; Sitting (L to R): Sze-Piao Yang, Shiro Kira, Wei-Ci Luo, Ann J Woolcock, Teresita de Guia Importantly for the Journal he was a founding member of the APSR, and worked hard to help the APSR fulfil its Mission and Vision and was always willing to assist the APSR and the Journal to succeed and his endeavours stand as a long lasting legacy and testimony to his professional life. More recently the APSR has established the J Patrick Barron Medical Education Young Investigator Award for the best Medical Education Paper accepted at the annual APSR Scientific Meeting thereby ensuring the memory of his rich contribution to Asia Pacific Medicine is not forgotten. Those who worked with him, our Journal and the APSR are all the richer for a life well lived.