Rob Pickard

Rob Pickard, who has died aged 57, was professor of urology at Newcastle University and honorary consultant urologist at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle until he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme in November 2015. Rob was an outstanding academic urologist who always put his patients first and was passionate about supporting junior colleagues and improving clinical care.

Rob graduated in medicine from the London Hospital Medical College (now the Royal London Hospital) in 1984. After house jobs in Essex and senior house officer jobs in Stafford, he started his surgical registrar training in 1988 in Newcastle. He always cycled to work and would use early mornings with one of his babies on his shoulder to study. Rob achieved fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1989 and then progressed his specialist urology training. He gained his MD in 1995 after two years research, made FRCS (Urol), and was appointed consultant urologist specialising in urinary tract reconstruction at the Freeman Hospital in 1996.

As a new consultant, Rob was interested in service development and helped …