Known for his charming manner, delightful smile, immaculate dress sense and smooth presentation style, Adrian Brady was the 19th President of the British and Irish Hypertension Society from 2015–2017. In response to lobbying from our Irish members and after consultation with the membership and a ballot, Adrian led the Society to include ‘Irish’ in our name. Educated at the Scotus Academy, Edinburgh, he was also a chorister at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, which is where he formed his love for music. He was a very accomplished pianist and guitar player.

At Edinburgh University Medical School, he gained a BSc in physiology and enjoyed elective periods at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney as well as Harvard Medical School, Boston before graduating in 1985, summa cum laude. Adrian was Captain of the Edinburgh University Ski Team and participated in the UK National Ski Championships. He went skiing in his beloved Zermatt as recently as November 2025, despite his serious illness. His other sporting interest was golf and he was a member of the Royal Troon Golf Club.

His house jobs were on the surgical and medical units at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and in the latter post he worked for Professor Michael Oliver. Following that he commenced his medical training in London, which included working for Professor Sir Colin Dollery and Professors Maseri and Oakley at the Hammersmith. An appointment as a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellow at the National Heart and Lung Institute, with Professor Philip Poole Wilson, culminated in an MD awarded by Edinburgh University in 1993. His thesis title was “Nitric Oxide and Cardiac Myocyte Contraction”, cited over 600 times. He completed his training as a Senior Registrar at the Queen Elizabeth and Selly Oak Hospitals in Birmingham.

Adrian was appointed a Consultant Cardiologist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1996 and during that tenure the University of Glasgow appointed him initially as a Senior Lecturer in Cardiology and latterly as Honorary Professor. In 2004 he was appointed a Visiting Professor at the Mayo Clinic and received five similar appointments in other universities including Chile, Hong Kong and Switzerland.

His awards, distinctions, contributions to major research and publications are too numerous to list. Adrian was in much demand as a speaker and travelled the world extensively. He was probably proudest to have led the acclaimed Football Health Scotland study of dietary and lifestyle therapy in middle-aged men. In fact, Adrian was committed to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Apart from his service to the BIHS, he also served as Chair of SHARP, the Scottish charity dedicated to the prevention of heart and arterial disease, and most recently as President of the Scottish Cardiac Society.

As a clinician he ran the Blood Pressure Clinic at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary, and his educated and pointed contributions to multidisciplinary meetings will never be forgotten. Adrian had the skill to combine clinical experience and a deep understanding of pathophysiology with a common-sense approach. Whilst Adrian’s contributions to hypertension at national and international level may be more widely recognised, he remained committed to serve his local community and chaired the committee of primary and secondary care physicians that developed the hypertension guidance for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. He was just about to complete the 2026 revisions of this guidance when his condition relapsed.

Our hearts go out to his wife Una, his children, Catriona, James, Emma, stepsons Daniel and Pearce, grandchildren Rory and Blair. All of whom he was extremely proud of and they were always his priority.