Professor John Forsythe

Appointments and Activities

Professor John Forsythe was first appointed as a Consultant Transplant Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, UK in 1995. Prior to this, he was a Consultant Surgeon with special interest in renal transplantation at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He is currently an Organ Utilisation Consultant for NHSBT, working with all departments of health for the UK.

Professor Forsythe has held many professional committee appointments, among them Lead Clinician for Organ Donation and Transplantation in Scotland, Chairman of the Scottish Donation and Transplant Group and Chairman of the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs Advisory Committee to all four UK health ministers. He is a Past President of the British Transplantation Society and remains Honorary President of the British Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics.

• Professor Forsythe is Past President of ESOT.
• Lead Clinician for Organ Donation & Transplantation Scotland (2008 - 2016).
• General Secretary, European Society for Organ Transplantation (2009 - 2013).
• President, European Society for Organ Transplantation (2013-2015).
• United Kingdom Advisory Committee for Safety Advice concerning Blood, Tissues & Organ Transplantation, Chairman (2007 - 2015).
• National Health Service Blood & Transplant Non-Executive Board Member (2005 - 2013).
• Consultant to Department of Health and Social Services.
• Co-Chair of ISOU

Research Interests

• Immune monitoring following transplantation
• Cellular rejection following xeno-transplantation
• Organ damage at retrieval
• Training in transplantation
• Equity of access to transplantation

Qualifications

Professor Forsythe’s educational qualifications are:

• Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), England
• Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), Edinburgh
• Honorary European Diploma in Transplantation Surgery

Memberships

• The Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) Regional Advisor, 2000 - 2009
• South East Scotland Chairman of Regional Registrar Training Committee, 1996 - 2004
• British Transplantation Society, Vice President, 2003 - 2005
• British Transplantation Society, President, 2005 - 2007
• National Health Service Quality Improvement Scotland Board member, 2002 - 2007
• Kidney Pancreas Advisory Group (United Kingdom Transplant), Chairman, 2002 - 2006
• NHS Blood & Transplant Non-Executive Board Member - 2005
• The Royal College of Physicians (London) Working Party on Persistent Vegetative State, 2002 - 2003
• National Health Service Quality Improvement Scotland member of sub-group for Serious Service Failure, 2003
• Clinical Standards Board for Scotland Co-opted Board member, 2002
• Programme Director, South East Scotland General Surgical programme, 1996 - 2000
• Specialty Advisor to Chief Medical Officer (transplantation and organ donation), 1999-2005

Awards & Distinctions

A prolific speaker, Professor Forsythe has presented at numerous national and international meetings and chaired many sessions. His career has been marked by a number of awards and distinctions, including the Moynihan Prize and Medal (Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, 1989), the Honeyman Gillespie Lecture (1998) and the Rutherford Morison Lecture 2010.

• Moynihan Price and Medal, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland - 1989
• Honeyman Gillespie Lecture - 1998
• Rutherford-Morison Lecture - 2010
• Order of The British Empire (OBE) - 2022

Publications

A list of Professor John Forsythes recent publications can be found in the attached PDF.