John Herrin (2020)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing on October 25, 2020 of John T. Herrin, MBBS, FRACP, 84, former Director of Clinical Services within the Division of Nephrology at Boston Children’s Hospital.
After his initial medical training, John left his native Australia and moved to Boston. He spent much of his early career at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was chief of Pediatric Nephrology from 1974 to 1994. He then moved to Boston Children’s Hospital in 1994, where he remained a cherished member of the Division of Nephrology until he retired in 2014. John held an appointment at Harvard Medical School for 49 years.
John was a passionate medical educator and developed a preceptor practice program to enhance how hundreds of pediatric residents and dozens of nephrology fellows learned clinical nephrology. He welcomed physicians, nurses, and students from around the world to Boston to spend time observing pediatric nephrology practice and care. He had near total recall of the medical literature and was a walking encyclopedia of clinical pearls that he delighted in sharing.
John was also the consummate clinician, totally committed to his patients and their well-being. There were no constraints to the length of a clinic visit or the duration of in-patient rounds if there were questions to be answered or concerns to be assuaged. In all his interactions, he modeled rare equanimity and unfailing generosity.
For those who worked alongside John, his extraordinary skills as a physician, his careful guidance as a teacher and mentor, and his unparalleled kindness as a colleague will always be remembered. He will be sorely missed.
Members of the Division of Nephrology, Boston Children’s Hospital