In December 2024, following a magnificent life and 11 months after his friend Professor Sir Roy Calne, James also departed this world.

At the May 2024 meeting of the Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund (NIKRF), its Patron of 20 years, Dr James Douglas, gave an eloquent and engaging tribute to his friend and transplant legend Professor Sir Roy Calne who had passed away. In it he recounted the pioneering days of transplantation, the courage and commitment of those involved, and the friendships forged – including how he and Sir Roy always had a tennis match when the latter visited Belfast!

James Frederick Douglas was born, along with his twin sister, in County Fermanagh, NI. He was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen and then studied law at Wadham College Oxford. He practiced as a barrister and lectured in law, before returning to NI to study medicine at Queen’s University Belfast. He graduated with honours in 1969.

As a houseman in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, he recounts being asked to insert a peritoneal dialysis catheter! This sparked his interest in renal disease, and he remained fascinated and enthusiastic about renal medicine thereafter. He was the first research fellow of the NIKRF, and was appointed as a consultant in the Belfast Renal Unit led by Dr Mary G (‘Mollie’) McGeown in 1975. \James was integral to the successful ‘Belfast Recipe’ for renal transplant management in the pre-cyclosporine era, and co-authored the Lancet publication of 1977 detailing the success of the first 100 transplants in Belfast. The Worldwide Transplant Directory (Terasaki Foundation) noted that 12 of the 35 longest surviving kidney transplant recipients in the world in 2010 were from Belfast.

He always loved clinical work, remembering patients in great detail, reflecting his interest in them as individuals. He was however equally at home debating legal issues related to the evolving specialty of transplantation, uniquely bringing his insight into the law to the bedside. For many years he served on Unrelated Living Transplant Regulatory Authority (ULTRA).

James published numerous articles in medical and medico-legal journals, as well as (in 2018) co-editing and co-authoring a book on the history of renal services in NI.

He was member of numerous societies, of which most important to him were the NIKRF and the British Transplantation Society. He served as a council member from 2002, and faithfully for many years as the archivist. James was truly worth of Honorary Membership of the Society which he was awarded, to his surprise, in 2022.
James never truly retired, though (to his great disappointment) finished clinical work in 2007. He lectured in medicine and pharmacology at Queen’s University Belfast until 2022, and even in May 2024 took part in a panel discussion about transplantation for first year medical students. He remained an erudite and captivating speaker.

His brilliant intellect, deep humility, and infectious enthusiasm will not be forgotten. He had many interests (cricket, chess, astronomy, church, travel) and was coveted company for any social occasion. Few have impacted their world as he did. He was loved by all those of us privileged to walk a little of our way with him.