Vale Clinical Professor David Isaacs
It is with sadness that we share that David Isaacs died peacefully after a prolonged illness surrounded by family on Saturday 2 nd August.
David Isaacs was one of Australia’s best-known paediatricians and considered the father of paediatric infectious diseases as a specialty in this country. He trained at Cambridge and Oxford before being invited to head the first department of infectious diseases at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Camperdown, Sydney (now the Children’s Hospital at Westmead).
He was a leader in education at the hospital and also through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). He received the RACP John Sands Medal in 2015, and the Howard Williams Medal in 2023. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health from 2009-2021. Prof. Isaacs was a leader in paediatric clinical ethics and established and led the Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical Ethics Service until his retirement in 2021. He was profoundly respected for his clinical work and advocacy in refugee and asylum seeker child health.
He established and led the Health Assessment for Refugee Kids (HARK) clinic in Sydney and was a leading voice in witnessing to the trauma imposed on children through immigration detention. After consulting on children being held in immigration detention in Nauru, he was prominent in the Kids off Nauru campaign.
He served the country through his long periods of membership of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), and Polio Expert Panel in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Even more outstanding than his exemplary professional contribution, was Dave’s kindness, humility, love of the arts and sense of humour. He was a mentor and friend to countless clinicians. He was also deeply committed to his family to whom we express our condolences and support.
Vale Prof.
Details of David Isaacs funeral (in-person and on-line) will be made public on the ANZPID website (https://asid.net.au/anzpid) shortly