Bio
Ian Whitmore was born in England of an English father and an Icelandic mother just before the end of the second world war. He was educated in the United Kingdom, graduating with MBBS and LRCP MRCS from Guy's Hospital Medical School (University of London) in 1968.
Following two years of clinical experience as a junior hospital doctor, he started teaching Anatomy in Manchester in 1970. He was granted the MD degree by the University of London in 1980 following submission of a thesis relating research into Oesophageal Striated Muscle. The textbook and color atlas “Human Anatomy” with Ian Whitmore as one of the five authors was published in1985 and has now reached the sixth edition.
In 1990 he moved to Queen Mary & Westfield College in London as Senior Lecturer in Anatomy, before being persuaded to take early retirement in 1996.
Having been a Visiting Professor at Stanford several times since 1984, he has been teaching there every year since 1996, and was made a Full Professor with a continuing appointment in 2002. He continues to teach in Stanford.
Between 1989 and 2009 Ian was Chairman of the Federated International Committee on Anatomical Terminology, which published Terminologia Anatomica in 1998, Terminologia Histologica in 2007 and Terminologia Embryologica in 2013.
In 2005 the American Association of Clinical Anatomists awarded him Honored Member status for his work in Terminology. He has similarly been made an honorary member of the anatomical societies in South Africa, Costa Rica, Italy and Russia. In 2010, he was awarded the Jubilee Medal "For the great contribution to Morphology” by the All-Russian Scientific Society of Anatomists, Histologists and Embryologists. In 2012 The Anatomical Society appointed him as Fellow.
His other achievements include UK & US Commercial Helicopter Licenses with a UK Helicopter Instructor Rating.