Observational studyClinical medicine (London, England)2026
Life expectancy of UK physicians in the early 21st century: An analysis of 1,000 fellows from the Royal College of Physicians' Munk's Roll.
Observational study in Clinical medicine (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Letter to the Editor: 'Life expectancy of UK physicians in the early 21st century: An analysis of 1,000 fellows from the Royal College of Physicians' Munk's Roll'.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2026Article
- Hypertension: A common, yet poorly managed condition. What can we do better?Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
objectiveTo determine life expectancy among UK physicians using the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) Munk's Roll and to identify demographic or professional factors associated with longevity.
designRetrospective observational study of biographical records.
settingMunk's Roll, RCP.
participantsRandom sample of 1,000 fellows from Volume XII (2005-2023).
main outcome measuresAge at death; associations with sex, birthplace, place of qualification, specialty and hobbies.
results995 fellows (915 male, 80 female) were included. Median age at death: 84.0 years (range 34.7-105.0). Men lived longer than women (84.2 vs 80.5 years, p = 0.033). Fellows with obituaries mentioning gardening lived longer than those without (86.0 vs 83.5 years, p = 0.0008). Median age at death varied by region of qualification: North America 94.0, Europe 92.9, Australasia 87.5, Ireland 87.7, UK 84.1, and Indian subcontinent 76.0 years. Age at death differed significantly by region of qualification (p < 0.0001), with fellows qualifying in the Indian subcontinent living notably shorter lives. There were no consistent differences in longevity across specialty groups after adjustment, although pathologists had longer survival (+8.0 years vs cardiologists, p = 0.004).
conclusionsUK physicians recorded in the Munk's Roll have substantially higher life expectancy than the general population. Sex differences favouring male physicians and longevity advantages associated with gardening and certain qualification regions were observed. Specialty was not a major determinant of survival. These findings highlight historical inequalities within the profession and the potential importance of wellbeing-related activities in supporting physician longevity.
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