Dundee care home reunites former lecturer with University of Dundee colleagues in heartfelt visit

Colleagues at HC-One Scotland’s Balcarres Care Home, in Broughty Ferry made an extraordinary effort to help resident Dr David Stansfield reconnect with the community that shaped his career and life.

Dr. Stansfield, aged 90, who has been living at Balcarres for the past three years, had been longing to return to the University of Dundee, where he served as a Senior Lecturer for over 25 years. Recognising the significance of this deep connection, the team at Balcarres took it upon themselves to make this emotional reunion a reality.

Carol Whyte, Care Assistant and Wellbeing Coordinator at HC-One Scotland’s Balcarres, alongside the dedicated team of colleagues, took the initiative to organise David’s personalised visit to the University of Dundee. The team collaborated closely with his family and the university’s staff to ensure that every detail was considered, including reaching out to former colleagues and familiar faces from David's time at the university.

Dr David Stansfield at the University of Dundee

The reunion was a truly special moment for Dr Stansfield. Surrounded by former colleagues and friends, David shared cherished stories from his career, and the occasion was filled with laughter and joy.

David is now living at Balcarres with his wife Betty, and David had expressed a wish to pay a visit to Life Sciences to see how it had changed since he left. David spent an hour in the Garland Cafeteria with his son Huw and Balcarres’ Carol as well as Grahame Hardie, Carol MacKintosh and Philip Cohen reminiscing about the “old days” in Biochemistry.

Grahame Hardie joined David Stansfield’s lab as a postdoctoral researcher in 1976 when he moved to Dundee, spending 15 months on ribosomal protein phosphorylation. He later collaborated with Philip Cohen on a project that led to his discovery of the AMP-activated protein kinase.

Asked about his time in David Stansfield’s lab, Grahame Hardie said: “I have much to thank David for. My appointment as a Postdoc in his lab in 1976 brought me to Dundee, and the realisation that it was an exciting place to do research in Life Sciences, which is why I've been here ever since. A few weeks after joining his lab, I also met Lyn, to whom I have now been married for 48 years!”

Philip Cohen, Dr David Stansfield and Grahame Hardie

Grahame Hardie was one of two members of David Stansfield’s team later elected a Fellow of The Royal Society. The other, Nick Lydon, earned his PhD under David’s supervision in 1982 and went on to develop imatinib (Gleevec) at Ciba Geigy, now Novartis.

Imatinib, the first protein kinase inhibitor approved for clinical use, transformed the previously fatal leukemia CML into an easily managed condition. This breakthrough led Nick Lydon to receive numerous prestigious international awards, including the Lasker Prize.

Philip Cohen, a colleague of David in the Biochemistry Department from 1971 to 2000, said: “I remember how kind Betty and David Stansfield were to Tricia and I when we first arrived in Dundee in October 1971. One of the stand-out memories of our first three months in Dundee was spending New Year’s Eve 1971 with Betty and David at their home in the Claverhouse district of Dundee.”

Although the Stansfield family still owns the Claverhouse home, they lived there only briefly before David became Warden of Belmont Undergraduate Hall. David, Betty, and their family then moved into the warden’s house on the University of Dundee campus, where they remained until his retirement in 2000.

Mimi Popa, HC-One Scotland’s Balcarres Care Home Manager, stated: “I am incredibly proud of our team for capturing such a meaningful moment and ensuring that David experienced the joy of reconnecting with his community.”

Speaking on behalf of the family, David’s son Huw added: “We were thrilled to revisit Biochemistry and see how it had developed into the School of Life Sciences after Dad’s retirement. David thoroughly enjoyed his visit, and it rekindled many happy memories for him.”

For more information on HC-One homes in your area visit www.hc-one.co.uk/carehomes.