Dr Paterson was born in Kilmarnock in 1952 but grew up in Stornoway on the Scottish Isle of Lewis where his father was Secretary to the local Health Board. In the early 1970s he studied Pharmacology at the University of Glasgow and went on to join Professor Hans Kosterlitz’s research group at the University of Aberdeen where he studied for his PhD. This world-leading group was responsible for a swathe of discoveries in the field of opioid pharmacology, including the identification of the enkephalin family of signalling peptides in the nervous system that are mimicked by drugs such as morphine. The discoveries of the Kosterlitz group and the consequences for subsequent drug development over the last 50 years are too many to mention.
Dr Paterson published more than 30 full papers while in Aberdeen in journals including Nature and PNAS. His particular contributions to the work of the group included an extensive pharmacological characterization of the newly discovered ‘kappa’ opioid receptor which has since become an important contemporary target for the development of new drug treatments for hitherto poorly understood psychiatric and other disorders. Dr Paterson was well-known and respected in the field of opioid pharmacology and his legacy will stretch far into the future.
Dr Paterson moved to the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals (UMDS) where he developed a passion for teaching and quickly became a cornerstone of the pre-clinical undergraduate teaching of medical and dental students. Following the merger with King’s, he also began to teach science undergraduates in ever larger numbers. He had a prodigious memory (including for students’ names) and an encyclopaedic knowledge not only of his subject, but also of College regulations. For many years Dr Paterson chaired the Board of Examiners in Pharmacology and was a key member of the School Examination Board, roles in which his eye for detail, and inherent, unstinting fairness served both his students and the university well. He also served on the Academic Board.
Despite suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, a condition that made his skeleton highly vulnerable to traumatic damage, Dr Paterson always demonstrated an extraordinary degree of stoicism and a peerless commitment to the student experience. He was a wonderful friend and colleague to many in the Faculty, and we offer our sincere condolences to his family, friends and the many, many former students who will already be aware what an honour it was to have known him. He will be greatly missed.