Jim Dornan

Professor Jim Dornan is one of the world’s leading gynaecologists and obstetricians.
For almost forty years, he has cared for women, helping them through some of the most difficult, joyous and transformative events of their lives. Jim lives and continues to practice medicine in his hometown of Belfast.

He was in the year below David Trimble and me at Bangor Grammar School, where he is still remembered for his role as Lady Macbeth, and his son Jamie obviously takes after him. An Everyday Miracle is the compelling story of Jim’s career. I attended the launch at Queen’s University this evening and met Sir Nigel Hamilton former Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, now Chairman of TinyLife, of which Jim is President. 

TinyLife started out in 1988 as NIMBA (Northern Ireland Mother & Baby Appeal), the only premature and vulnerable baby charity in Northern Ireland dedicated to reducing illness, disability and death in babies born here.  Its first chairman, Eric Cairns was with us this evening. The charity was established by healthcare professionals and concerned parents in the Belfast area in response to the growing number of babies requiring special or intensive care at birth.

It actually started life as the Lord Mayor’s Mother and Baby Appeal , which I facilitated through the good offices of Councillor Fred Proctor of Belfast City Council on behalf of my incomparable colleagues Drs, now Professors, Henry Halliday and Garth McClure of the Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, who also established Community Paediatrics with me in Belfast.