LRCP MRCS 1953; MB ChB Manch 1953, MD 1972; FRCP Lond 1972; FRCP Edin 1969.
Mawdsley was born in Bolton on 31 October 1929. He was educated at Canon Slade Grammar School Bolton and at the University of Manchester. After qualifying, Mawdsley held resident appointments at MRI. After national service in Cyprus, Mawdsley returned to MRI as senior house officer and later registrar. He developed an interest in television epilepsy and neurological complications of boxing, and spent a year at Harvard Medical School. Mawdsley was then appointed lecturer in neurology at the University of Manchester and honorary consultant. In 1965 he was appointed senior lecturer in medical neurology at Edinburgh, and, after a year in India as WHO visiting professor, was made head of the new department of medical neurology at Edinburgh University. Mawdsley was an active member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and in 1979 was appointed secretary. He became an honorary fellow in 1981. Mawdsley died on 9 March 1983.