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    H. Alan Crockard, MB, DSc.FRCS , FRCP, FDSRCS

    Professor
    Formally National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Institute of Neurology University of London

    Alan Crockard was born 1943 and educated in Northern Ireland and began his Neurosurgical Residency a few months the outbreak of the “Troubles”1969 in the only unit for the whole of N. Ireland, housed within the Royal Victoria Hospital. Acute injuries were delivered here, some within a few minutes, from the action. Here the Team, as part of treatment, developed the principles of Controlled Ventilation to reduce ICP and published this in 1972. Large cranial skull defects in survivors were repaired with Titanium Cranioplasty moulded in a unique way by Derek Gordon FRCS.

    As NIH/ MRC Fogarty Fellow he moved to University of Chicago to study with Dr John Mullan 1974-5. He returned to Belfast until 1978 introducing procedures pioneered by Prof Mullan.

    He moved to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery London and worked with Prof Lindsay Symon on Experimental Ischaemia. His clinical interests expanded to Skullbase, Craniocervical Junction, and Spine, initially, because of the many Rheumatoid cervical deformities referred in 1980-1995. With these cases, new Transoral procedures and associated surgical instruments were developed in an age prior to endoscopy. In parallel, posterior craniocervical implants were developed to stabilise the head on neck.

    In the early 1990’s he set up the Hill Surgical Skills Laboratory at the Royal College of Surgeons London with another in Perth, West Australia. He became the Director of Education for the Royal College of Surgeons 1997-2003.

    Over his career he published in excess 340 peer reviewed papers, 84 chapters and co-authored “Trauma Care” and “Neurosurgery: Scientific Basis of Clinical Practice”.

    He retired in 2007 to widen his interests in Blue Water sailing. He took part in the Fasnet and Azores and Back races as well as a rally across the Atlantic to St Lucia. He, his wife and some of his colleagues have cruised extensively around the UK, the Baltic and the Mediterranean.

    He now travels widely to photograph birds with his wife. He teaches, runs tutorials and organises photographic exhibitions.

    He had two sons, a Critical Care Physician and a Superyacht Captain.

     

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