Penington was educated at
Carey Baptist Grammar School, and later
Scotch College, Melbourne (1940–1947). He obtained BM.Bch and later Doctorate in Medicine at the
University of Oxford and a Doctorate in Laws (Hon.) at the
University of Melbourne. He initially had a career in medicine in the
United Kingdom at the
London Hospital between 1957 and 1967, and also in Harley Street until 1967. He was then Professor of Medicine from 1970 to 1987 at the University of Melbourne, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine between 1978 and 1985. He chaired a Committee of Inquiry into the Rights of Private Practice (Medicare Dispute) in 1984 and the National AIDS Task Force 1983–87. He was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne from 1988 to 1995. Penington died on 6 January 2023, at the age of 92. ==Published works==