Dr Mary Buchanan
Kent Cancer Trust is very sad to announce the passing of Dr Mary Buchanan MRCS, LRCP, DFSRH, on 18 June 2026.
Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine
Life Member of the British Medical Association
Honorary Member of Soroptimist International
Dr Mary Buchanan was one of the founding members of Kent Cancer Trust in 2003, alongside Professor William (Bill) Gullick and Dr Roger James. Together they established a Board of Trustees that brought together clinicians, scientists and other eminent people working in Kent. Mary later recruited me to the Board in 2011 – she was very good at persuading people to get involved!
Mary and Bill were deeply concerned that, without a medical school at the time and with limited funding for cancer research in Kent, patients in the county were not always able to benefit from the advances in diagnosis and treatment available in the London teaching hospitals. Their vision was to strengthen cancer research in Kent, encourage outstanding researchers to work here and, ultimately, improve opportunities and outcomes for local patients.
That vision has had a lasting impact. By 2025, Kent Cancer Trust had donated more than £300,000 to research projects in Kent, supporting work ranging from drug resistance in several cancers and the early identification of aggressive mouth cancer to pioneering research preventing bacterial and fungal damage to prosthetic voice boxes and breathing tubes. Mary’s determination and tireless fundraising played an important part in making this possible.
I am now Chair of Kent Cancer Trust, but I first knew Mary as my GP. She was compassionate, empathetic and knowledgeable but, above all, she was an exceptionally good doctor. I feel very fortunate to have known her both professionally and personally.
We first bonded over Manchester, where I had come from and where Mary had trained as a doctor, met her much-loved husband John, and formed lifelong friendships with people who were also family friends of mine. Our doctor-patient relationship gradually developed into a friendship, and we remained in regular contact after she left general practice.
Mary was also extraordinarily kind and supportive when a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her medical knowledge, compassion and willingness to help were a great comfort at a very difficult time. It was her passion for improving cancer outcomes in Kent that subsequently led me to become involved with Kent Cancer Trust.
My husband Huw and I were fortunate to celebrate Mary and John’s 60th wedding anniversary with them in 2016 at Stationers’ Hall. It was a wonderfully happy occasion and a lovely reflection of the deep affection and mutual support that characterised their marriage. When John died in 2022, his funeral made equally clear how devoted they both were to improving the lives of others and supporting each other’s work and ambitions.
Mary was not someone who simply talked about changing things. She believed things could be better – and then she set about making them better. She was an inspiration, a star and a very special person who will be sorely missed by all who knew her, but her vision, energy and determination have left a lasting legacy in Kent that Kent Cancer Trust is determined to continue.
Dr Katharine Winstone PhD, BDS, MRCDP, FICD
Chair, Kent Cancer Trust
Mary’s family have asked that those who would like to remember her should consider making a donation to Kent Cancer Trust in her memory.