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MACKAY, Ian Reay AM (1922-2020)

MACKAY, Ian Reay AM (1922-2020)

Ian Reay Mackay was born 23 March 1922, son of Doctor Eric Reay Mackay. Ian, along with his brother Eric boarded at Geelong College in 1936. Ian’s father had also attended Geelong College in 1899.

Ian went on to study medicine at the University of Melbourne and was an intern at the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a year. While between medical positions, Ian worked for a few months on a sheep station. He then worked at Albury Hospital where he developed tuberculosis. In 1947 he spent a few stints at a sanatorium and demonstrated biochemistry at the University of Melbourne.

In 1948, Ian moved to post-war Germany to work as a medical officer, assessing refugees for migration to Australia. During his time, he made over 7000 medical examinations. Unfortunately, another relapse of his tuberculosis led him to seek medical care in England. Ian recalls, “As I recovered, I thought I had better look after my medical education.” He went on to seek a placement, becoming a Resident at Hammersmith Hospital.

Ian’s time at Hammersmith would shape his career, “It was there my eyes were opened to the prospects for research in medicine.” Ian joined Sheila Sherlock’s unit, focusing on the early days of liver specialisation. Again. Ian’s tuberculosis flared up and he returned to Australia. Once recovered under Sheila’s advice, Ian headed to the United States. He worked at the University of Washington in Seattle in about 1951, before joining the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.

Whilst in the U.S. in late 1955 Ian was invited by Dr Ian Jeffreys Wood to join his team at the Clinical Research Unit, a joint initiative between the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Royal Melbourne Hospital. Taking up the offer, Ian became an assistant physician at the CRU (1955-1963) exploring the nascent field of immunology.

At the CRU Ian became a pioneer researcher in autoimmune diseases and treatment, introducing immunosuppressive treatments. He was appointed Head of the CRU in 1963, continuing in that role until his retirement in 1987.

After retirement, Ian maintained his research, contributing to research collaborations and writing research papers and academic texts. He also held a research position at Monash University. In 2015 Ian won the General History Prize in the New South Wales Premier’s History Awards for his book (written with Warwick Anderson) “Intolerant Bodies: A Short History of Autoimmunity”.

Ian was married to Dr Patricia Wilson, and they had five children. Patricia was also a pioneer in medicine, in the field of anaesthesia and women in medicine in Australia.

In 2001, Ian was awarded a Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and science in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Ian passed away 24 March 2020, aged 98 years.

For more information about Ian’s career visit
https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/vale-professor-ian-reay-mackay-am
https://discovery.wehi.edu.au/timeline/pioneering-autoimmunity-treatments


Sources: The Age 26 March 2020, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Pegasus

Anderson, Warwick and Hunter, Cecily, 'Wars have an overflow on everything': Interview with Ian R, MacKay and Patricia MacKay', Health and History, 15 (1) (2013), 104-17

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