John Percival Mumford
30th December 1933 – 3rd July 2022.
We recently said goodbye to former Epilepsy Research UK Trustee Dr John Mumford at a service attended by his family, friends and colleagues, to whom he meant and gave so much. John died on 3rd July, aged 88, following a short illness. He was much loved by Julia, Nicola, Jo, Simon and Tim and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
John began his career in Manchester, qualifying in medicine in 1957. After 13 years in Hospital and General Practice in the North of England, he joined the Pharmaceutical Industry in the Netherlands, becoming Head of International Medical Services in Organon International. John then moved to Denmark in 1977 to become the Vice President of Medical Affairs in Novo Pharmaceuticals. In 1981 he joined Merrell Dow, holding various posts including in the UK and France, where he directed the Global Clinical Research Program for vigabatrin in epilepsy. He retired as Global Therapeutic Area Director (CNS) in January 1996 to become an independent Consultant in Pharmaceutical Medicine.
John was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians in 1989, and an ‘Ambassador for Epilepsy’ by the IBE and the ILAE in 1995. In 1998, he became a trustee of the Epilepsy Research Foundation (now Epilepsy Research UK) and in 1999 a member of the Scientific Advisory Board, becoming Chairman in 2000. He went on to become Chairman of the Trustees between 2002-2005.
At John’s funeral, there was a vibrant exchange of stories about John’s wit, intelligence and personal and professional impact. Up until the very last few days of his life, John was still providing guidance and sharing his wisdom with those close to him. And that was the recurring theme of all the stories about John; his unwavering support and encouragement for everyone around him.
John remained in regular contact with fellow Trustees Helen Cross and Barrie Akin, with whom he had served on the board at Epilepsy Research UK, checking in on progress and providing insights into strategy development. I too had regular calls and emails, the last one ended “I’ve got to get out of this hospital Maxine, it’s full of old codgers…”
Rest in peace John and thank you.
Maxine Smeaton
Chief Executive, Epilepsy Research UK