Dr. Richard Warwick McCallum

Dr. Richard Warwick McCallum, MD, 80, of El Paso, Texas, died peacefully on August 21st, 2025, at UMC Hospital after battling an illness. He was an accomplished physician scientist, mentor, doctor of doctors, and a family man.

Dr. McCallum was born on January 21, 1945, in Brisbane, Australia. A native Australian, he attended the University of Queensland and the Queensland Medical School. After graduating from medical school, he moved to the US and completed his Residency training at Charity Hospital and LSU in New Orleans, Louisiana, and then at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He followed that with a GI Fellowship at The Wadsworth Veterans Hospital at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. His academic appointments include the Director of Gastroenterology Endoscopy and Motility at Yale University, the Paul Janssen Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Virginia, as well as the Chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. In 2009, he was recruited as the Founding Chair and Professor of the Department of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in El Paso, Texas. Here, he served as Director of GI Research and the Center of Neurogastroenterology and Motility and as a Medical Staff Officer serving as a Physician Leader. He was also appointed as an honorary Professor of Medicine at his alma mater, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Dr. McCallum made major advances in the diagnosis and treatment of gastroparesis, the brain-gut connection, and the mechanisms of nausea and vomiting. He pioneered gastric electrophysiology in humans and is the inventor of the gastric pacemaker. His research has been funded by the American Diabetes Association and, as one of the founding members of

Gastroparesis Consortium, Dr. McCallum has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Health for more than 15 years, including the only NIH research grant in both pediatrics and adults at TTUHSC. He has written more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, 130 textbook chapters, edited over 15 scientific textbooks, and held multiple patents. He has mentored over 200 US and International physicians, students, and trainees, including cutting-edge researchers and Nobel prize winners. He was awarded multiple distinguished awards, including the Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine from the Texas Medical Association (2016), the Washington University Alumni Achievement Award (2017), the ACP Laureate Award (2017) and Mentor of the Year from the American Gastroenterology Association (2018), as well as membership to the prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation. Dr. McCallum served as the President of the El Paso County Medical Society (2020-2021) and President of the Texas Tech University Faculty Senate (2021-2022). He was known for his passion for medicine, his kind-hearted bedside manner, his incredible generosity, and his contributions to the RotaCare Free Clinic in El Paso, which he founded.

He was a loving and giving husband, father, and “Papa”. Meticulous through his contributions and actions, he always treated everyone with kindness and generosity. Although he was rarely on time, he truly gave his time to everyone he knew. He lived life to the fullest and loved going to concerts, especially The Rolling Stones. He treasured his family’s beach vacations and would outlast everyone while body surfing big waves. A good cup of tea, oysters, and social events,

playing tennis, watching football, and endless card games with his grandchildren were some of his favorites. He was always up for an adventure, and no matter what he did, he was all in! He lived by his catch phrase, “Ready to Rumble!”

Dr. McCallum is survived by his wife, Mary Beth McCallum, his daughter Elizabeth, and

son-in-law Marshall and grandchildren Summer and Huck Ferguson of Austin, TX, his son Yates and daughter-in-law Lexy and grandchildren Zeke and Colette McCallum of Charlottesville, VA, his daughter Heather McCallum and son-in-law Franklin Hardy and grandchildren Ren and Dash McCallum-Hardy of Los Angeles, CA, his sister Sue Roberts, Peter Jockel and two nephews Andrew and Nick Roberts of Brisbane, Australia as well as his nephew Joe Jovanovich of St. Louis, MO.

Memorial Service to be held at 2 pm on September 27, 2025, at Christ Church, 470 Eagle Drive, El Paso, Texas 79912, with a light reception to follow. In lieu of flowers we ask that you donate to the Dr. Richard W. McCallum Medical Memorial Fund so his legacy may live on.

https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1422/c21/form.aspx?sid=1422&gid=1004&pgid=3210&dids=54 52