George was unfailingly committed to the highest scientific standards, and was piercingly creative and rigorous in how he approached research. He published paper upon paper in the world’s leading academic journals and was an equally powerful scientific communicator on the stage. Despite this, he remained a remarkably humble man who was unfailingly generous with his time, ideas and wisdom, characteristics that no doubt explain why he was so sought-after within various global leadership networks. George was equally committed to growing the next generation of research leaders and he supervised and mentored more than 40 PhD and postgraduate scholars.

George’s 30 years of research leadership at the Centre for Adolescent Health saw it emerge as ‘the’ place to study adolescent health globally; it continues to welcome scores of visiting academics, clinicians, and students from across the world each year. While the Centre’s ‘extended family’ will undoubtedly share our loss, the rigour and innovativeness of his research legacy, and that of those he trained, will influence the field for generations to come.