Dr Andrew Fairbairn, seniortutor in charge of medical school admissions at Newcastle University, agreed improved communication skills would save the medical profession from being branded "arrogant".
He also said he had spoken to Ms Johnston since her release, as well as her father Philip - a seniortutor at Cambridge University college Hughes Hall - mother Patricia, and brother Peter.
His growing reputation led to the invitation to teach at the Royal College of Art in 1971 and to his appointment as SeniorTutor of Painting in 1981, at which point he retired from the Courtauld Institute.