Richard Brian Johanson

Obstetrician whose evidence based approach was ahead of its time

Richard Johanson's contribution to the safe care of women and their babies during pregnancy and childbirth was exceptional. Early in his career he became hooked by the challenges of caring for women in both normal and complicated childbirth. He progressed from senior house officer in obstetrics to registrar, research fellow, senior registrar, lecturer, and senior lecturer/consultant all in North Staffordshire Hospital. Along the way he spent time in Kwazulu, Kathmandu (where he undertook his work for his Cambridge MD) and in Cape Town, where he did a great deal of further valuable research. He was promoted to professor at Keele University in 2001 in recognition of his unquestionable academic contribution to the research of women in pregnancy and childbirth.

He predicted, by some 10 years, that research would ultimately return to being more clinically relevant—that the identification of a clinical problem and analysis of the research literature would lead to the establishment of local and then multicentre clinical trials. He then used that evidence to inform and educate students and specialists through nationally acclaimed obstetric skills and clinical scenario courses, innovative educational videos, and local and national Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines. We now take his approach—one of intertwined research, teaching, audit and clinical practice—for granted in clinical governance. But he developed this approach well before the government was even remotely aware of such a philosophy.

Richard was a keen mountaineer, skier, walker, all round sportsman, and a talented player of the Scottish pipes. As a medical student he busked his way around Europe in full Scottish attire playing the bagpipes.

He leaves a wife, Charlotte; and three children.

Richard Brian Johanson, professor of obstetrics Keele University School of Medicine and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist North Staffordshire Hospital (b Estcourt, South Africa, 1957; q Cambridge 1982; MD, MRCOG), died from malignant melanoma on 21 February 2002.