Mary-Louise McLaws

Mary-Louise McLaws AO (née Viney; 17 March 1953 – 12 August 2023) was an Australian epidemiologist. Specialising in infectious diseases, she was a professor of epidemiology at the University of New South Wales for over 30 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she became a "household name" in Australia, regularly providing public information and advice on the disease.[1]

Mary-Louise McLaws

AO
Mary-Louise McLaws, a white woman in her 60s with a brown bob haircut and black glasses, looks at the camera with a slight smile.
Born
Mary-Louise Viney

(1953-03-17)17 March 1953
Tasmania, Australia
Died12 August 2023(2023-08-12) (aged 70)
Sydney, Australia
Spouse
Richard Flook
​
(m. 1988)​
Children2
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Sydney (BSc, DTPH, MPH, PhD)
ThesisMeasurement and determinants of condom use behaviour in homosexually active men at risk of AIDS (1992)
Academic work
Discipline
InstitutionsUniversity of New South Wales (1992–2023)

Early life

Mary-Louise McLaws was born in Tasmania on 17 March 1953, the daughter of Barry and Louise Viney. She and her elder brother spent their early years with their mother in Bondi, New South Wales, before moving to the Central Coast where she attended Gosford High School. She took the surname of her step-father Bruce McLaws.[2] She was raised in a Jewish family.[3]

McLaws attended the University of Sydney, graduating Bachelor of Science and later completing a diploma in tropical public health in 1984, Master of Public Health in 1988 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1992.[4]

Career

McLaws joined the University of New South Wales in 1992. During her career she "wrote more than 180 research papers and supervised and supported many PhD students for decades".[5] She specialised in hospital-acquired infections.[2] Her early research also included a 1995 study on HIV/AIDS in Australia, which examined women who had acquired HIV from their male sexual partners.[6]

In 2004, McLaws was sent to Beijing for two months to monitor bird flu for the World Health Organization. She also consulted to Hong Kong's authorities during the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak.[7]

McLaws became "widely known to the Australian public through her media appearances" during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[3] She was one of the first public advocates for mandatory face masks and the closure of the Australian border.[3] She later advocated for mandatory vaccination,[8] including the establishment of vaccination hubs to achieve herd immunity.[9] In 2021 she was named by the Australian Financial Review as one of the ten "most culturally powerful people" in Australia during the year.[10]

Personal life

McLaws married Richard Flook in 1988, with whom she had a son and a daughter.[2] She was diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2022,[11] and died on 12 August 2023, at age 70.[3][12]

Honours

McLaws was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours, for "distinguished service to medical research, particularly to epidemiology and infection prevention, to tertiary education, and to health administration".[1] In June 2023, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies hosted a reception in her honour at Emanuel Synagogue.[5]

References
  1. Dow, Aisha; Cunningham, Melissa (12 June 2022). "Respected epidemiologist honoured on Queen's Birthday reflects on shock diagnosis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  2. Trioli, Virginia (13 August 2023). "Mary-Louise McLaws, renowned epidemiologist who help guide Australia through the pandemic, dies aged 70 from brain tumour". Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  3. Brown, Malcolm; Barlass, Tim (13 August 2023). "Epidemiologist who led Australia through COVID dies aged 70". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  4. "University community recognised with Queen's Birthday Honours". University of Sydney. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  5. Desiatnik, Shane (29 June 2023). "Reception for 'true hero' McLaws". The Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  6. "Love is no protection from AIDS, survey says". The Canberra Times. 22 December 1995.
  7. Kearney, Christine (March 2004). "Where in the world is health going?". Uniken. Vol. 11.
  8. Patrick, Aaron (25 July 2021). "The politicisation of pandemic punditry". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  9. Burton, Tom (8 April 2021). "Vaccination hubs 'essential' for Australia to reach herd immunity". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  10. Turner, Brook (30 September 2021). "The 10 most culturally powerful people in Australia in 2021". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  11. Mahe, Danielle (13 June 2022). "Mary-Louise McLaws and Kerry Chant in Queen's birthday honours". ABC News. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. Trioli, Virginia (13 August 2023). "Mary-Louise McLaws, renowned epidemiologist who helped guide Australia through the pandemic, dies aged 70". ABC News. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
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