James Connor Dornan (5 February 1948 – 15 March 2021) was a Northern Irish obstetrician and

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

, who was also a professor and frequently lectured both nationally and internationally, holding the Chair in Fetal Medicine at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

and that in Health & Life Sciences at the Ulster University.

Early life

Dornan was born in Holywood, County Down. His father, also Jim, was an accountant who served as the General Manager of the Northern Ireland Institute for the Disabled. His mother, Clare, was the first Occupational Therapist in Northern Ireland. Dornan attended Bangor Grammar School and from there went on to study medicine at

where he was mentored by Harith Lamki, Buster Holland and Ken Houston.

Career

Qualifying in 1973, he did his Houseman's year in the Belfast City Hospital before training in his chosen career. He once considered

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

as a career. In 1976, he was seconded to Queen's University in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Canada as a

perinatal Prenatal development () includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal devel ...

resident. On returning to Ireland, he rotated around the north to complete his training and obtain an Honours MD from Queen's in 1981 for his research into Fetal Breathing. In 1986, he was appointed a consultant Senior Lecturer and subsequently Reader, before he followed Professor Graham Harley at the Royal Maternity Hospital. In 2004, Dornan was elected Senior Vice President of the

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...

in London, having been on its Council as a Fellow for the previous five years. This was issued with the particular responsibility for developing Global health initiatives. Amongst them was the establishment of an emergency obstetrician that provides lifesaving skills for medics,

midwives A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; con ...

and nurses in under-resourced countries, while working closely with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Dornan embarked on a project of non-clinical writing with his book, ''An Everyday Miracle'', which was published in September 2013 by Blackstaff Press. He appeared in the third series of the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

drama '' Marcella'', which stars Anna Friel. He also played a policeman in '' The Fall'', in which his son Jamie Dornan played a serial killer.

Personal life

Dornan had three children, Liesa, Jessica and

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...

from his marriage to his first wife, Lorna, who died following a battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. He lived in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland, and was married to his second wife Samina who is also a

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

and obstetrician and a strong supporter of legalising

abortion in Northern Ireland Abortion in the United Kingdom is ''de facto'' available through the ''Abortion Act 1967'' in Great Britain, and the '' Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No.2) Regulations 2020''. The ''Abortion Act 1967'' provides a legal defence for doctors to per ...

. She appeared in the BBC Three documentary, ''

Abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

: Ireland's Guilty Secret?''. Dornan died on 15 March 2021 after having suffered from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dornan, Jim British gynaecologists 1948 births 2021 deaths Obstetricians from Northern Ireland People educated at Bangor Grammar School Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland