Brian Coghlan was a consultant cleft lip surgeon at Guy’s Hospital. He was a schoolboy international cyclist and he toyed with the idea of becoming a professional. Medicine won, and he studied at Bristol. His intercalated physiology degree involved working on a project with Ron Piggott at the Frenchay Hospital on the measurement of facial symmetry and the analysis of cleft lip and palate deformity, and his fascination with plastic surgery was kindled. He completed his medical training and house jobs at Bristol, then started his surgical training with a job as an anatomy demonstrator with Ellis in Cambridge. This was followed by general surgical training, with senior house officer and registrar jobs at St Bartholomew’s, Bristol, Weston General Hospital and Bournemouth. He then started his specialist plastic surgery training with senior house officer jobs at Leeds and Frenchay. He then moved to Canniesburn as a registrar. His next move was to Leeds and then Pinderfields as a senior registrar. He spent six months with David David, performing craniofacial surgery in Adelaide, Australia. This was followed by a six-month stint at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He was appointed as a consultant plastic surgeon to Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton, with responsibilities at St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester. The Roehampton sessions were transferred to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital when Roehampton closed. He also worked for the charity Operation Smile, regularly performing cleft lip operations in developing countries. Brian's interest in cycling continued, but he was also passionate about cars and he was tragically killed in a car crash, his Porsche skidding off a road near his home in Chichester. He is survived by his wife Beverly, his daughter, Abby, and his two young sons, Oliver and William.