Like many who enter medicine, Roy Farquharson, who has died at the age of 75, started out as a doctor because he wanted to help people. That desire developed into a lifelong commitment to advance the field of obstetrics and gynaecology for the benefit of patients.
Roy made an exceptional contribution to ESHRE including as chair from 2017 to 2019, as a member of the society’s executive committee (2011 to 2015) and as coordinator for ESHRE’s special interest group for implantation and early pregnancy (2006 to 2010).
He also played a major role in ESHRE’s certification programme. At the time of his death, Roy was an assessor for the Centre Accreditation of Subspecialist Training in Reproductive Medicine (ATCRM) and, prior to this, he was coordinator of the ATCRM committee. One of his most notable achievements was helping to initiate and launch the society’s European Fellowship in Reproductive Medicine as a founder member of the team.
His diplomatic skill helped ESHRE form closer collaborations with other international reproductive medicine societies. This personal quality also helped to position the society as the leading authority on assisted reproduction by strengthening ESHRE’s relationship with the European Commission.
A proud Scotsman, Dr Farquharson was born and educated in Aberdeen including at the city’s medical school from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB ChB) in 1975.
His training in obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery and neonatal paediatrics was undertaken at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital then in New Zealand at National Women’s Hospital, Auckland. For his higher training, Roy returned to the UK to study at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
Roy dedicated his professional life to improving health outcomes for women and babies and spent the majority of his career as a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
To investigate and treat recurring pregnancy loss was a major focus for Roy who, in 1987, set up Liverpool Women’s miscarriage clinic which treated hundreds of patients a year. In a newspaper interview about the clinic, he was quoted as saying: “Sometimes it can be as simple as offering support. We hold their hands in a time of need.”
In 1993, Roy was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in recognition of his significant contribution to obstetrics.
His leadership and advisory roles show his dedication to ensuring patients receive the highest quality of care especially in the early stages of pregnancy. From 2006 to 2011, Roy chaired the Association of Early Pregnancy Units, a specialist society of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists (RCOG) which connects these dedicated services across NHS hospitals throughout the UK. He was also a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline group (2010 to 2013) and of their Evidence Update Advisory Group (2014) for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage.
To the many at ESHRE who knew him, Roy was a loyal friend, supportive colleague and true gentleman with a playful sense of humour who always had a smile and a kind word to share.
The former ESHRE chair had the ability to put everyone at ease in any situation, from a patient facing a challenging birth to a researcher presenting their first paper. He always impressed others by his capacity to remember faces and names, even those whom he had only met once.
The annual meeting will not be the same without Roy’s expert insights and ready wit. But he leaves behind an enduring legacy of strong leadership as well as compassion, empathy and generosity.
ESHRE chair Anis Feki said: “Roy’s legacy extends far beyond his professional a achievements. He understood something equally important: that great science is built not only on knowledge and hard work, but also on friendship, trust, and the joy of being together.
“His wisdom will continue to guide us, his vision will live on through the generations he mentored, and his friendship shall remain forever in our hearts.”
You have to be logged in and an ESHRE member in order to comment.