In 1980 John joined the British Pharmacological Society (BPS), which just 2 years later formally recognized the quality of his scientific contributions by awarding him the Smith Kline and French prize for research in clinical pharmacology. He went on to publish more than 260 original papers over a wide range of subjects. These included important findings in drug metabolism and interactions, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, drug safety, and particularly in cardiovascular clinical pharmacology. John had a strong commitment to the Society and 38 of his original papers appeared in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. He was a gifted and popular teacher and he ensured that medical students in Trinity College were offered a sound training in pharmacology and therapeutics before they went on to become prescribers of medicines. He was committed to undergraduate teaching and encouraged a research ethos among his students. Those of us who heard him present at the Society will remember just how good a communicator he was. This was in part due to his clarity of thought and ideas, but also to his infectious enthusiasm and well-developed sense of humour. As a result, he was in great demand as a lecturer internationally. He was a skilled writer and editor, and his book, New Drugs, based on articles he had written for the British Medical Journal, continued to be published through several editions.