The Ann McPherson Tribute Fund
The family, colleagues and friends of Ann McPherson are sad to announce that Ann lost her courageous battle with cancer on Saturday 28 May. A tribute fund has today been announced at Ann's request, by her husband Klim together with colleagues at Green Templeton College and across Oxford University.
Professor Sir David Watson, Principal of Green Templeton College, said: "The fund is a celebration of Ann's life and work and will benefit a number of projects close to Ann's heart. These projects involved significant contributions from Ann, and demonstrated her profound vision and unique intelligence. All those who knew Ann were touched by her stoicism and bravery in the face of her own battle with pancreatic cancer. We will sorely miss her."
A loving mother of three children, Ann McPherson qualified as a doctor in 1968 and was a general practitioner in Oxford for 32 years until 2008. She joined the Department of Primary Care, Oxford University where she was the driving force behind the patient experiences website and research group - DIPEx, www.healthtalkonline.org.
From this project, a new site with the experiences of young people www.youthhealthtalk.org was launched in 2005 and includes stories about young people's experiences of sexual health and understanding, and chronic health issues, including epilepsy, diabetes, and cancer. Ann also co-hosted a teenage virtual doctor's surgery for 10 -15 year olds www.teenagehealthfreak.org, which continues to give health information to young people in an innovative way including providing an extensive email question and answer forum.
Recognised for services to teenage health and to innovation in women's health care, Ann was made a CBE in June 2000. Ann's work was committed to the belief that health care should be driven by the experience of patients. She believed that students and doctors should understand better what it feels like to have an illness. Health care quality should be judged on what recipients experience and that health policy should reflect what matters to patients rather than to doctors or politicians.
To ensure that these principles would not be forgotten, Ann's final project was to establish the Oxford Health Experiences Institute (HEXI), described in her own words as a place "where the world of academia meets real life". This is a ground breaking initiative, as the first interdisciplinary academic research centre dedicated to understanding the attitudes, values and experiences of people coping with illness, or making decisions about their health, and to using the research to make a difference. Ann was the founding Director of HEXI and continued to work closely with the team even in her final days.
The Ann McPherson Tribute Fund will support these initiatives and will be administered by the Green Templeton College Development and Communications Office. The Principal Professor Sir David Watson, Emeritus Professor of Primary Care David Mant OBE, and Ann's husband Professor Klim McPherson will coordinate the allocation of funds raised in support of the continuation of Ann's pioneering work.
There are other ways to give to Ann's Fund, including shares and legacies. Please contact Susan Berrington, Director of Development & Communications, 01865 274777 or
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at the College for further information or to discuss the possibilities.
Thank you for your support. Click here to give online.
The Oxford Health Experiences Institute
Healthtalkonline
Youthhealthtalk
Teenagehealthfreak