Derek born in Nelson and attended Nelson College before leaving to complete his Medical degree at Otago University. He did his Ophthalmology training in the UK passing his FRCS final exam in Edinburgh in 1987. He has previously been involved in providing eye surgery in Nepal and the Pacific Islands but over the last 10 years in addition to his busy clinical practice he has been preoccupied with improving Eye Health Services in New Zealand firstly in his role Chairing the Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Group and then Chairing the Save Sight Society and more recently Chairing the NZ Branch of the Royal Australian and NZ College of Ophthalmologists.
From 2014 – 2018 Derek was Chair of the Council of Medical Colleges, an organisation that represents 15 Specialist Colleges and 9,500 doctors.