James Finbarr (Barry) Cullen

Born Cavan 13th July 1928 - died Edinburgh 23rd September 2020

In this site we celebrate the work of James Finbarr (Barry) Cullen, and present a snapshot of his myriad contributions to clinical academic ophthalmology. Barry Cullen, Master Clinician and Father of Edinburgh Ophthalmology, enjoyed a long and distinguished career in ophthalmology whose influence in clinical education has reached a global studentship touching the lives and careers of countless patients and professionals across the world. Doubtless you shall have your own memories, stories and experiences which you are most welcome to share with us, please feel free to send these to Paul Melone at ophthalmology@ed.ac.uk

Needless to say, all of us here at the Masters Faculty shall endeavour to follow in Barry’s giant footsteps, sharing the philosophy that clinical teaching is vital for the sight of patients, the minds of trainees and the souls of all those who teach them.

Firstly for those who never had the opportunity to meet Barry in person, here a just a few of his many attributes and achievements. Suffice to say he excelled at everything he turned his attention to, including overseeing all aspects of the transition to, and functioning of what was the new PAEP opened half a century ago. Over many decades Barry’s intimate knowledge of everyone and everything at PAEP enabled him create and shape the facility we enjoy today. His many roles included Senior Consultant and Clinical Director of PAEP, Senior FRCSEd Examiner and Chair of the SAB in Ophthalmology, Royal Blind Board of Director, co-Founder of BINOC, President of the SOC, Inaugural Chair of the Ophthalmology Research Board RCSEd, the list goes on and of course post-retiral from the NHS Barry had yet another career as senior neuro-ophthalmologist in Singapore. Retirement was not an option.

In writing this tribute a phrase comes to mind ‘life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards’ and Barry certainly lived his in fast-forward at breath-taking speed. In clinic he didn’t hang about, he always had a queue of people waiting outside his room, and he taught as he worked, with trainees trying their best to gather his pearls, tips and diagnoses which came thick and fast as they raced after him. Blink and you’d miss something vital. His prolific publications were always clinically relevant and detailed, very much a rarity in academia today. Over more than 6 decades Barry laid landmarks in neuro-ophthalmology publishing seminal works on ischaemic optic neuropathy, defining the diagnosis and management of this most challenging of diseases. His work has informed practice world-wide and remains unsurpassed.

On his return to Edinburgh I was fortunate to work alongside Barry at Lauriston building situated midway between the sites of the old eye wards where Barry’s started his career and PAEP the place where one full-time job ended before his next one in SEAsia began. He was a key figure in establishing Singapore as a world-leading centre, teaching across the region, setting up careers, guiding with a fatherly hand to nurture the next generation, from Malaysia to India, West Indies to Indonesia, teaching with humility, wisdom and selflessness. Barry’s intuition and insight in recognising a flicker of potential in others when they themselves were unaware of it applied to innumerable colleagues who were lucky enough to meet him.

Barry had the drive and foresight to see that on-line education, skills transfer and mentorship was the natural evolution of his life’s work in helping trainees learn the essentials of our specialty which would usefully supplement local training thereby improving patient care. His multimedia teaching materials in the Masters courses speak to his underlying approach characterised by being clear, concise and crammed with common sense. These attributes are timeless and shall always be valued by current and future generations of our Masters students.     

Professor Baljean Dhillon,  Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Edinburgh