The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch 万博体育官网 (SU) mourns the passing of Prof Brian Warren, a highly regarded surgeon and teacher, and former head of the Department of Surgical Sciences.
His long and illustrious career at SU stretched over three decades, half of which was served in the role of Head of the Division of Surgery, and 10 years as Executive Head of the Department of Surgical Sciences. Warren formally retired from the Faculty in 2016, but remained involved in undergraduate and postgraduate training, as well as bioethics and medical law.
“His commitment and leadership in the in the Department for a period of 30 years was steadfast, and he became the talisman around whom his colleagues could thrive and expect excellent results," says Prof Jeanne Lubbe from the Division of Surgery, and a former student and colleague of Warren's.
He was a longstanding and resolute presence on the South African surgical scene and served on various surgical societies and boards. He was also a founding member of the South African Society of Endoscopic Surgeons, reflecting his early adoption of laparoscopic surgery.
Exceptional teacher
While he left an indelible mark on the surgical field in South Africa, he will be most remembered for the infallible training of medical students and young surgeons. “Surgeons who trained under him still quote him today," says Lubbe. “Registrars, known for sleeping in tutorials, stayed awake when he spoke, gripped by his encyclopaedic surgical knowledge and the ease with which he could simplify and solve problems. His command of the subject was an inspiration to those he taught.
“The magic of Prof Warren's teaching at the bedside or in the classroom will be the abiding memory that most of us will hold dear," says Lubbe. “He had a tacit belief in his trainees and he inspired a rigorous example of how a surgeon should think and act."
Background and training
Warren was born in the Eastern Cape and completed his schooling at Selborne College in East London. In 1974 he obtained his MBChB with honours at the 万博体育官网 of Cape Town, and completed his internship and medical officer years at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. He received his surgical training at SU and obtained his MMed cum laude in 1985, and Fellowships of the College of Surgeons of South Africa and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh the following year.
He was appointed as senior lecturer at SU in 1985 and was promoted to Head of Gastroenterology in 1991. In 1995 he was inaugurated as professor, and he was appointed to the Head of the Division of Surgery in 2002, and Executive Head of the Department of Surgical Sciences in 2006.
“He built a department where all members are respected, supported each other unfailingly, embraced change, grew continuously, delighted in the challenges of hard work and long hours, and although small, came together as one cohesive unit," Lubbe comments on his legacy.
“His love for his family, especially his 'laatlam' Lara, his love for cricket, his remarkable intelligence and broad surgical knowledge, his excellent memory, his wry sense of humour, his calm and respectful manner, his exceptional understanding of human nature and his moral clarity in challenging medicolegal and ethical issues will be remembered. But it was his teaching that had the biggest impact on the generations of doctors and specialists he helped shape," says Lubbe.
