Having received his early education in Glasgow, Ivan Joffe spent the majority of his professional life at Plumstead, where he was on the staff of St Nicholas Hospital. He had an aptitude for administration and became chairman of the hospital medical committee. After retirement, he moved with his new wife Jutta to Iserlohn, Germany, where he acted as surgical adviser to the Army for several years. After his wife died suddenly whilst playing bridge, he moved to South Africa where he died in August 1998.