It is with great sadness that we inform staff and students of the untimely passing of George Lewith, Professor of Health Research within the Department of Primary Care.
George unexpectedly passed away at the age of 67 while on a trip to Austria on Friday 17 March.
The first doctor in England to receive specialist training in Complementary Medicine, George established the Complementary and Integrated Medicine Research Unit in 1995 during his then appointment as Honorary Visiting Senior Lecturer.
In 2003, George developed and initiated the first annual conference on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Strategies, Training, Research and New Developments (CAMSTRAND). George’s work will be celebrated during this year’s conference due to take place in Southampton on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 June.
A discussion board is available on the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health website, for colleagues and friends to share their thoughts about, and memories of, George.
Head of Academic Unit, Professor Michael Moore said:
George was immensely popular with all the staff and will be sorely missed, he was so supportive of the junior staff and always had time for a quiet word or advice. He was involved in many areas of research and could be relied upon for insightful critical comment.
He has been part of the fabric of the unit for over 20 years and his contribution promoting high quality scientific enquiry in the CAM field has been immense. We have been overwhelmed with messages of support from colleagues and friends worldwide demonstrating his reach and influence.
Our thoughts go out to his family and close friends at this very sad time.
