John Mark Gibson was born, in London, on Easter Sunday, 5 April 1953. His father, John Gibson was Professor of Mental Health at Queen's University Belfast and his mother Emily, had been a nurse in London during the Blitz. Mark grew up in South Belfast, and attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Excelling academically, his diverse extracurricular activities included playing the double bass, cycling and steam trains. As a teenager he joined the City of Belfast and Northern Ireland Youth Orchestras and it was through music that he met his wife, Frances Dillon. For twenty-five years he would be leader of the bass section of the Belfast Studio Symphony Orchestra.
Mark read medicine at Trinity College Dublin and after house jobs in Dublin he returned to Belfast. Whilst working at Claremont Street Hospital, and in the Neurology unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, he decided to specialise in that field. From 1980 until 1982, he worked in Southampton as registrar to the QUB graduate Dr Philip Kennedy, and between 1982 and 1985, he undertook his MD research on Parkinson's Disease with Professor Chris Kennard.
In 1988, he was appointed consultant neurologist to the Royal Victoria, Belfast City and Altnagelvin Hospitals. He is fondly remembered in Altnagelvin not just for his crucial clinical contribution but also for his arrival and departure, in all weathers, by bicycle and train. Deeply committed to the principles of the NHS, he eschewed private practice.
Mark developed a sub-specialty interest in the study of movement disorders, particularly in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Huntington's Disease (HD). In Belfast City Hospital he secured funding for, and initiated, a multidisciplinary clinic, the main focus of which was PD. Mark, as medical advisor, worked closely with the Parkinson's Disease Association and his wife Frances, a senior Speech and Language Therapist was the Belfast representative on the Association's board for several years.
Mark devised novel methods for recording eye movements. With Alan Collins and Dr Canice McGivern, he modified a dental chair with an improvised head clamp and a set of LED lights. This ‘Heath Robinson’ apparatus worked well and was used to study patients with ocular motor abnormalities including HD, and the pre-symptomatic HD carriers that had been identified by Patrick Morrison.
His multidisciplinary clinic provided a unique opportunity to perform systematic research into movement disorders, and resulted in landmark publications on PD. He helped define the ocular motor pathophysiology of HD on a large series of affected and presymptomatic cases. Mark had exacting personal standards, quietly disapproving of the ‘salami slicing’ of data, which he deplored.
Mark, as postgraduate trainer, played an important role in the development of postgraduate Neurology throughout Ireland. With Professor Michael Hutchinson in Dublin, he developed a monthly day-release scheme with a defined curriculum. Mark was also very active in the Association of British Neurologists, representing the interests of Northern Irish neurologists.
As Ulster Medical Journal editor for ten years, he nurtured the academic careers of many young doctors. On occasion, guiding the novice author to produce the publication-worthy text could be challenging but he remained considerate, patient and courteous. Authors during that period will recall helpful annotations written with characteristic green or brown fountain pen ink. Mark introduced the now familiar A4 Journal format. His editorial work for the journal was recognised by the Ulster Medical Society with the rare honour of the awarding of an Honorary Fellowship of the Society in 2005.
A voracious reader, Mark also had a catholic taste in literature and enjoyed sharing recommendations with friends and colleagues. An enthusiastic advocate of the ‘Quo Vadis’ desk and pocket diaries, he found such ‘old technology’ trusty and reliable. Frequently during a conversation, he would produce his trusty diary and scribble a few notes for future reference.
Mark loved and was beloved of his close and extended family. When, in 2006, he became ill and later when he endured a bone marrow transplant, he drew great comfort from them. Despite imperfect health, he returned to work but after a further year, he retired, choosing to spend more time at home with his family and on many restorative trips to the family caravan at Rosbeg in County Donegal. During this period, and despite grave illness, significant publications by him continued to appear in international journals.
On 25th September 2010, aged fifty-seven, Mark died at home. In the week before he died, he arranged and planned his funeral service, sparing those close to him. The inspirational memorial service was held at Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, Belfast where he had been a faithful member of the congregation. There was music, sadness and reflection but also glimpses of Mark's intelligent and gentle sense of humour. He is survived by his wife, daughter Amy and son Laurence.