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.

Friday 3 February 2012

From Ami Oren


Tuesday, quarter to five, and all experiments stopped. The good old HP was turned off, the desk cleared and chairs brought to a circle. Sue brought the glasses and Brian a bottle of red wine. The Shakespeare club started promptly at 5. Brian was to discuss The Tempest. The plays were distributed among the participants. Brian and Sue selected The Tempest and Midsummer Night Dream. These were the more complex plays, and Brian set to explain the structure and hierarchy of the plays, the nobles, the commons, and the spirits. As usual, he play-acted the explanation so all I have to do is close my eyes and follow.

As if years have not passed.

Time is the most versatile dimension. It can twist its tail and hit you on the head mixing the then in the now. So I stand in front of my trainees and try to explain respiratory physiology, wishing that Brian were there to do the job. And he was tough, very tough, demanding, and crystal-clear. Didn’t take a second to have every brain cell on full alert and mobilized to comprehend the task at hand. But, in the end,  we learned every bit of it. We even loved it. Brian’s quiet and solid enthusiasm was contagious, his knowledge immense, his teaching unforgettable.

When he picked on my stage fright, Brian pulled me to the side:
“Why don’t you adopt my method? Write down the text and read it over and over, then go to the beach and say it out loud, rehearse it until it flows from you. The waves wouldn’t mind.”

Brian had a talent for explaining the most complex problems by posing simple questions, step-wise, until the problem unraveled and all its elements were clearly laid out.

In my rear-view mirror I can see him sometimes, and realize how much knowledge and understanding he had, how well he understood the “other”.

Brian’s zeal for life was abundant, he was gregarious and had to do everything and be the best in what he did.

Even after a squash game he appeared immaculately dressed, not flashy, just like his leather briefcase, very classy.

There was a distinct style to everything he did, a quality that is hard to match.
Posted by at