1943-2025
6th February 2026
Professor Derek Iain Johnston
31/05/1943 – 17/02/2025
Derek Iain Johnston came up to Queens’ in 1961 to read Medical Sciences. Born in Glasgow but raised by the sea in Worthing, Derek developed a lifelong love of the water and was an active member of the Boat Club while at Queens’.
He completed his training at St Thomas’ Hospital before embarking on a career in paediatrics that took him to Great Ormond Street, King’s College Hospital, and Denver, Colorado. He married Heather, a nurse he met at St Thomas’, in 1969, and together they raised four children: Andrew, Emily, Robert and James.
After completing his MD on Pancreatic Glucagon in Childhood, Derek was appointed as a Consultant Paediatrician in Nottingham, where he established a leading paediatric endocrinology and general paediatric service. He was co-author of Essential Paediatrics, which for many years was the standard paediatric textbook for medical students worldwide. His dedication to patients, research and education was recognised with the award of a personal Chair in Paediatrics from the University of Nottingham. Away from work, Derek kept active, enjoying sailing and windsurfing, and relaxed by tending a large garden, where he grew fruit and vegetables.
After a long and distinguished career, Derek retired in 2005. Never one to sit still, he travelled widely and spent several months each year on the Portuguese coast. When in the UK, he was active in the Ramblers, often leading walks in the Peak District, and took up golf — his only handicap being his swing. His greatest pleasure, however, was spending time with Heather, his children and nine grandchildren.
In what proved to be the final stage of his life, Derek and Heather moved back to Cambridge to be closer to family. Very sadly, this time was cut short by a terminal diagnosis of metastatic bladder cancer.
He will be forever missed by his family, friends and colleagues.
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