Born: 28 April, 1966 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Died: 18 October, 2014 in Aberdeen, aged 48.
Far too many good people die well before their time and very regrettably Dr Mark Bloch falls into this category. But his relatively short life was a much fulfilled one both domestically and professionally. Mark was born in Zimbabwe, but much of his early medical career was spent in South Africa, where he gained tremendous experience including in pre-hospital care.
Mark was a man of great abilities, as a clinician and as an energetic educator, he was also always open to new approaches, innovation and multi-professional working. It is no exaggeration to conclude that there would be no UK Critical Care Paramedic programme without him. When I floated the idea of such a paramedic role it was immediately apparent that many in the medical profession would feel that it was a concept not worthy of support. Mark was very different, not only immediately seeing the opportunities, but also finding ways to help fund the development, (a subsequent bid to the NHS Challenge Fund proved successful) and then offering to teach on the first and many subsequent courses.
All those that met and worked with Mark realised that he was a very special individual and one that proved to be a great friend to paramedics and the College, always maintaining a friendly, but rigorous approach to his work and always being supportive and patient focused.
Professor Andy Newton, QAM, FCPara.