McPhate was born on 1 June 1950. He studied medicine at the
University of Aberdeen, graduating with
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) degrees in 1974. He was then a tutor in physiology at
Clare College, Cambridge. In 1978, he joined
Guy's Hospital Medical School as a
lecturer in physiology. He also continued his studies and was awarded a
Doctor of Medicine (MD) research degree by the University of Cambridge in 1988. He was an
honorary consultant chemical pathologist for
Fife Hospitals between 1996 and 2002. This was the most senior appointment made of a clergyman who had "spent his life working in a non-church profession". He retired from full-time ministry on 30 September 2017. Since 2018, he has held
permission to officiate in the
Church in Wales'
Diocese of Bangor. ==Personal life==