15 Jul 2026: The ISH was deeply saddened to learn of the passing last month of Professor John L Reid, a distinguished figure whose work had a global impact on hypertension and stroke.

John was Regius Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Glasgow, and during his career served as President of both the British and Irish Hypertension Society and the European Society of Hypertension.

Among his many scientific contributions, John helped define diagnostic thresholds and treatment goals for hypertension; contributed to the development and evaluation of drug therapies for hypertension; and led the development of modern hypertension services. Through his research, clinical leadership, and mentorship, John helped shape hypertension practice and influenced clinicians and researchers around the world.

We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to John’s family, friends, colleagues and everyone who knew John.

ISH President George Stergiou knew John well. In a personal reflection, George shares his memories of John, whose mentorship helped shape his career and whose influence remains with him to this day.

“I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Professor John Reid’s passing. I always admired him for who he was and for what he did. I owe him a great deal for the direction my career has taken and for the physician, researcher, and teacher I have become.

In 1991, John Reid accepted me into the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Glasgow, based at the Western Infirmary, which he chaired, to train in clinical hypertension. He consistently followed my progress while I was working in his department, often asking me, “George, what are you doing at the moment, and what have you done so far?” I also remember very pleasant gatherings with his colleagues at his home in Glasgow and at his country house north of the city, with John and his lovely wife, Randa, as such warm hosts.

Almost two decades after my work in Glasgow, he initiated the process for me to be elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, probably because, at every opportunity, I mentioned that I owed my career to my training in Glasgow. This is absolutely true. My work in Glasgow inspired, motivated, and awakened me. Hypertension itself was only part of what I gained. It was the way of working - in clinical, educational, and research tasks - that inspired me and has followed me throughout my entire career, and remains with me today. For what I am today, and for the way I do whatever I do today, my two years of work in Glasgow under the close supervision of John Reid and Gordon McInnes deserve much of the credit.

John was an example to follow in many respects: an efficient, calm, and friendly chair who closely co-ordinated a large team of academics, researchers, and clinicians. He was well ahead of his time, introducing several novel approaches to cardiovascular care long before others fully understood their importance.

One was the acute stroke unit at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, which he set up in 1991 and which proved important in saving lives. Another was his blood pressure clinic, which was more advanced than many high-level hypertension clinics even today. First, he called it a “Cardiovascular Risk Factor Clinic,” focusing on all risk factors – not only hypertension. Second, he had electronic health records designed to track all risk factors, with close long-term patient monitoring. Third, he used an automated electronic blood pressure monitor back in 1991. Fourth, an experienced nurse saw most patients and referred some of them to the doctor in the next room – occasionally me. How
many clinics today apply all these features, all of which are now considered important elements of a good hypertension clinic?

This is why, in 2018, I proposed to the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) that its meeting include a workshop on “How to set up a blood pressure clinic.” The ESH eventually asked me to organize it, and I invited him to contribute, together with my friend Martin Myers, who brought the Canadian experience.

One year later, we worked with European Society of Hypertension officers to publish a short paper entitled, “Setting-up a blood pressure and vascular protection clinic: Requirements of the European Society of Hypertension.” In many respects, this paper captured the model of John Reid’s clinic as it existed already in 1991. Interestingly, it is still the only publication that guides clinicians in starting a new blood pressure clinic, and it remains up to date in most respects.

At the end of his career, John Reid gave us another important lesson: devotion to his wife. He became a full-time caregiver for quite a long time while Randa was suffering from chronic illness, and his devotion to her was deeply moving.

John Reid and Glasgow remain with me every day. The most important achievement in my career is the university hypertension centre and research team I established. It is a small centre of excellence, yet it influences blood pressure measurement practice around the world. This is because we always adhere to the principles and standards of academic and research work that I was taught in Glasgow under the supervision of John Reid.”