LONG-serving Bradford lung surgeon Alan Mearns has died aged 68 after a short illness.
Mr Mearns began work at the city's infirmary in 1980 and treated many thousands of patients.
Born in Liverpool, he studied at the city's university before working at the National Heart Hospital in London.
Mr Mearns then moved on
to Yorkshire a
s a senior registrar in cardiovascular surgery in Leeds, before taking up his role as consultant surgeon in Bradford which he held for a quarter of a century until his retirement in 2005.
He played a pivotal role in the development of the department of thoracic surgery at the infirmary, in particular in the treatment and care of cancer patients.
In the early days, a key part of his role lay in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
He specialised in lung surgery and was also an expert in oesophageal surgery and in operations for chest trauma.
He carried out more complex chest work following the advent of CT scanners and later also took up keyhole surgery.
He assisted his colleague the late Sabaratnam Sabanathan in the first successful lung transplant at a district hospital in the country, working many long days in the care of patients.
The two were also instrumental in 1990 in co-founding the Lungs for Life appeal which has raised thousands of pounds for equipment and research into lung conditions in Bradford and other parts of the region.
He wrote and presented medical papers at national level and was a prominent figure at a range of conferences staged in the fight against cancer.
He was also an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons
of Edinburgh, continuing as
a lecturer following his retirement.
Miles Scott, chief executive at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The department he helped to shape and develop in Bradford will be a lasting legacy of his contribution to patient care and a fitting tribute to his talents as a skilled thoracic surgeon.
"Although he retired in 2005, he retained close links with us and the wider NHS in his role as an enthusiastic lecturer – sharing his knowledge with the doctors of tomorrow as they progressed through their medical training in West Yorkshire."
Mr Mearns lived at Calverley, near Leeds.
He leaves three daughters with his late wife Mary, as well as his second wife Sally and four more daughters.
His funeral took place yesterday at St Wilfrid's Church, Calverley.
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