Malcolm Leon Chiswick 1940-2019
It was with great sadness that we learnt of the recent death of Professor Malcolm Chiswick. Malcolm was one of the early neonatologists and a founding member of BAPM and in 2005 he was awarded Honorary Membership of BAPM. He also instigated the concept of the tertiary perinatal centre developing St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester as the leading centre for Newborn Intensive Care in the North West of England. As an NHS clinician his interest and concern for the best outcome for very premature infants drove his research into the role of vitamin E in the prevention of periventricular haemorrhage. He published a great number of clinical trials and laboratory-based studies related to this. He also wrote eloquently on the issues of end of life care in neonatal practice, a topic that is very pertinent to today. In 1992 he was awarded a personal chair by the University of Manchester for his work. His broad academic and clinical interests also qualified him to be the Editor in Chief of the Archives of Disease in Childhood from 1987 to 2000. His interest in quality academic research led to a rise in high quality neonatal papers to rival those from paediatrics leading to the birth of the separate Fetal and Neonatal Edition. Malcolm discontinued undertaking clinical neonatal practice in 2002 and became the medical director for the then Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Following his retirement in 2006 he continued his interest in academic neonatology and for several years also supported the organisation of the Annual Neonatal Conference in Middlesbrough. He was president of the Manchester Medical Society in 2010-11 and his presidential address was on “Birth at the margins of viability – ethics and clinical practice”. Between 2009 and 2015 he was a Public and later Lead Governor of the Trust’s Council of Governors.
Outside neonatology Malcolm was a private person who lived quietly with his wife in Cheshire, loved playing the piano and had a sharp sense of humour. In recent years he had suffered from failing health. Malcolm had a long and illustrious career and will be remembered, by those who knew him, as an inspiring mentor, teacher and leader with a deep commitment to providing the best evidence-based care for his patients.
Dr Anthony Emmerson
Consultant Neonatologist, Manchester
