Patrick Magee was a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the London Chest Hospital, St Bartholomew's and the London Hospital. He was born on 25 February 1947 and qualified MB BCh BAO from University College, Dublin, in 1971. Two years later, he obtained a first class BSc degree in anatomy and physical anthropology. He trained at the Brompton Hospital, National Heart Hospital and the London Hospital and also spent a year as a fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA. He was appointed to his consultant post in 1982 and was an honorary senior lecturer at the University of London, also from 1982. In 2005 he was a David Chan visiting professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He contributed to many national and international journals, and wrote on all aspects of cardiothoracic disease, in particular on coronary artery disease and myocardial protection. He was a council member of the British Heart Foundation, president of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland (2004 to 2006), of the cardiothoracic section of the Royal Society of Medicine and of the section of cardiothoracic surgery in the Union of European Medical Specialists (2004 to 2010). He was also chairman of the Specialist Advisory Committee for Cardiothoracic Surgery, and was greatly involved in training and education. An examiner since 1995, he was a member of the Intercollegiate Exam Board in Cardiothoracic Surgery and was latterly responsible for quality assessment of the examiners during examinations. He was lead examiner for the tri-collegiate examination in cardiothoracic surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medicine of Singapore and the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong. He gained his FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1971 and from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1976. In 1996 he was awarded an FRCS (ad eundem) from the English College. He was a council member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2004 to 2006. Patrick Magee died on 30 May 2011, aged 64. He was survived by his widow Patricia and their three sons, Hugh, Cormac and Ronan.