Greg Hopkinson MBChB MD FRCS qualified in medicine at Manchester University in the early 1970s. He then trained at several hospitals, mainly in Manchester and the West Midlands. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1978. He went to the Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, in 1982, where he studied the physiologic effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). This yielded the research for his MD thesis, which was accepted by Manchester University in late 1983.
Hopkinson completed his training back in England, in the West Midlands, and was appointed consultant surgeon to what was then the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1988. He worked there for over 20 years as a vascular surgeon. In addition to his Drug and Therapeutic Committee experience, he was the founding editor of Surgical Guidelines for his NHS trust. This was subsequently taken up by over 20 other hospital trusts.
He was also, at different times, surgical tutor to the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and a fellowship examiner to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Additionally, he was Clinical Director for surgery for some years.
