Obituary

Brian James Whipp, Ph.D., D.Sc

March 3, 1937 – October 20, 2011

Brian Whipp sadly passed away at the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff, Wales following a short illness. He leaves his children from his first marriage, Laura and Brian, and his wife, Sue.

Brian was born in Tredegar, Wales and, through what was to be a lifelong interest in sport, gained a Diploma in Physical Education at the then Loughborough College in England – the United Kingdom’s foremost Physical Education Training College. He continued his studies at the University of Florida in Gainesville and then at Stanford University where, as a Danforth Fellow, he gained his PhD in Physiology in 1967, under the tutelage of Karlman Wasserman. He then set out on what was to become an illustrious career in physiology, both as a research investigator and a teacher, at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre in Torrance, California, proceeding through the academic ranks to become Professor of Physiology and Medicine and Vice-Chairman of UCLA’s Department of Physiology. In 1992, he returned to the United Kingdom to become Professor and Chairman of the Physiology Department at the University of London’s St George’s Hospital Medical School - from which he retired as Emeritus Professor in 2001. He remained active nonetheless, working from his home in the Welsh village of Crickhowell and also presenting numerous invited lectures worldwide.

His research interests centred on the control of ventilation and pulmonary gas exchange during exercise in health and disease, with special reference to the non-steady state. In addition to more than 300 publications on these topics, he was author or co-author of nine books and monographs, including the influential “Principles of Exercise Testing and Interpretation”. He was also an accomplished teacher, combining scientific rigor with humor, wit and enthusiasm.

In recognition of his services, Brian received many academic honours: a Doctorate of Science by Loughborough University in England in 1982; a Citation Award of the American College of Sports Medicine in 1990; Chairmanship of the Respiratory Commission of the International Union of Physiological Sciences from 1997-2002; the 2002 Joseph B. Wolffe Memorial Lectureship of the American College of Sports Medicine; the 2007 Distinguished Scientist Honor Lectureship of the American College of Chest Physicians; the 2008 American Physiological Society Honor Award (Environmental and Exercise Physiology); the 2010 J-C Yernault Lectureship of the European Respiratory Society; and the 2010 D.B. Dill Lectureship of the American College of Sports Medicine.

But Brian had many other “strings to his bow”, each of which he pursued with the same enthusiasm, zeal and attention-to-detail that characterised his scientific work – literature, philosophy, classical music, jazz and walking in his beloved hills and mountains of The Brecon Beacons.

He is, and will remain, sorely missed.

Tuesday 20 December 2011


Andy Jones said...
When I heard the sad news of Brian's passing, I was in Veruno, Italy, as part of the teaching faculty at a workshop on cardiopulmonary exercise testing and its physiological bases. The news was all the more poignant because not a single slide was presented, nor one sentence uttered, that did not owe something to Brian's research and teaching. This stands as testament to him: in his lifetime, he influenced generationS of scientists and his legacy is such that he will continue to do so.

I only had the privilege of spending a few hours in Brian's company on a handful of occasions but I have special memories of all those times: ice-cream in Redondo, walking in Crick, whiskey in New Orleans... It was impossible not to learn something (and often something quite unexpected) in his presence. While Brian could be 'imposing' at times (and he knew it!), he was also utterly gracious and was possessed of the finest sense of humour. His witty one-liners and anecdotes are legend in my laboratory and are frequently regurgitated by my PhD students.

One of the last times I saw Brian in academic 'action' was at the 2010 ACSM conference where he presented the D B Dill Historical Lecture. It was an awesome performance which culminated, fittingly, in a standing ovation.

The academic disciplines of exercise and respiratory physiology have lost a towering intellect, inspirational leader, and generous friend. Brian was a great man. Anything that any of us have ever, or will ever, achieve in exercise and/or respiratory physiology is because we have had the good fortune to stand on the shoulders of this Welsh giant.

Andy Jones
26 October 2011 04:27
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