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Oxford Heart Centre unit opened in memory of Dr Oliver Ormerod

11/05/2023

A refurbished unit at the Oxford Heart Centre, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital and part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been named in memory of a 'real pillar of Oxford Cardiology' after his death in 2022.

Dr Oliver Ormerod, who began working at the Trust in 1985 as a Senior Registrar and worked as a Consultant from 1992 until retirement in 2020, died after 35 years' service in June 2022 aged 68.

Colleagues and loved ones joined together on Tuesday 25 April 2023 to officially open the Oliver Ormerod Nuclear Cardiology Unit, with dozens attending the event to pay their respects and celebrate the opening.

Dr Ormerod was a prominent and leading Consultant Cardiologist who was instrumental in setting up the OUH Nuclear Cardiology Service, which now cares for more than 2,000 patients every year, at the John Radcliffe.

The refurbished and renamed Nuclear Cardiology area will honour the achievements and contributions that Dr Ormerod made to Cardiology in Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties.

Dr Julian Ormerod, Dr Oliver Ormerod's son, continues the Ormerod legacy and is a Consultant Cardiologist at the hospital. He attended the event alongside family members and a number of colleagues past and present.

Dr Yaver Bashir, Clinical Director for Cardiology, Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at OUH, said: "Oliver was a real pillar of Oxford Cardiology, making an enormous contribution across multiple areas of the service for more than 30 years. He was a superb clinician and an esteemed colleague.

"I, with other current Consultant colleagues, was mentored by Oliver as a junior and had the pleasure of calling him my friend. He had an inspiring career that touched the lives of so many colleagues and patients - there are a number of Olivers growing up named after the man who helped look after their mother during their birth. We miss him greatly."

Dr Sergei Pavlitchouk, Nuclear Cardiology Services Manager at OUH who hosted the event, said: "An important figure in Cardiology, Oliver was pivotal in founding the OUH Nuclear Cardiology department, one of only a small number of dedicated Cardiac units in England that can use advanced medical imaging to evaluate, diagnose and treat heart conditions, and developed it into a widely recognised and efficient service."

Dr Andrew Kelion, Consultant Cardiologist and Clinical Lead for Cardiac Imaging at OUH, added: "Oliver had a real problem-solving approach that translated into enhanced patient care, for which his passion and enthusiasm was inspiring - ebullient, and like a sub-atomic particle, he was somehow capable of being in two places at once.

"We have lost a great man in Oliver, but we are pleased to recognise and celebrate his profound impact by renaming the Nuclear Cardiology Unit after him."

Pictured (from left):

  • Dr Julian Ormerod, Consultant Cardiologist
  • Dr Nik Sabharwal, Consultant Cardiologist
  • Dr Andrew Kelion, Consultant Cardiologist
  • Dr Sergei Pavlitchouk, Nuclear Cardiology Services Clinical Lead
  • Ms Tacye Ormerod 
  • Jemima