Renowned doctor Scolyer dies after public cancer battle
Scientist Richard Scolyer has died after a long public battle with brain cancer, saying in a statement he wanted to be remembered as “a proud Australian who ‘gave it a go’ every day”.
The renowned melanoma pathologist and father of three, who died Sunday aged 59, helped save the lives of thousands of people throughout his career with his groundbreaking skin cancer research.
Together with Professor Georgina Long, he transformed the disease from a death sentence to a largely treatable state through treatment that stimulated the patient’s own immune system and brought hope and healing to many.
Professor Scolyer, who was born in Tasmania, was diagnosed with incurable and aggressive stage four brain cancer called glioblastoma in June 2023, aged 56, and was told he had just six to eight months to live.
The internationally respected clinician undertook the world-first experimental treatment based on his and Prof Long’s melanoma research, despite the risk of further shortening life.
Immunotherapy and a personalized vaccine before surgery to remove the tumor helped stop the disease for almost two years.
Prof Scolyer was a keen triathlete and former head prefect and dux at high school before studying medicine at the University of Tasmania.
After four years of clinical medical education, he continued to specialize in pathology and completed his education at the University of Sydney, becoming a professor.
He was also a senior staff specialist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
Prof Scolyer has amassed thousands of followers on social media by sharing insights into his cancer journey and has been praised for his courage in advancing scientific understanding.
However, in March 2025, it was revealed that after a complex surgery in which the entire mass could not be removed, a recurrent tumor on the left side of his brain had returned and was growing rapidly like tree roots on the left side of his brain.
He told his followers that immunotherapy treatments and a vaccine could make a difference and that the potential benefits of experimental procedures were worth the risk.
“More work needs to be done in clinical trials to prove this,” he said.
“At worst, I will leave a legacy of increased scientific knowledge to benefit future brain cancer patients.”
“My final message to all Australians is to thank you for the love and support you have shown me and my family,” Prof Scolyer said in a statement after his death. he said.
“You, whom I have met during my travels as the 2024 Australian of the Year co-honour, my amazing online community spanning many countries and, of course, my native Tasmanians, have laughed with me, cried with me and provided the encouragement and support to keep me going just when I needed it most,” he said.
“I have not sugar coated my journey and I sincerely thank you for providing me with the opportunity and space to share it with you, warts and all. I hope I have made the road ahead easier and smoother for others in some small way.”
“If my legacy were to continue beyond these words, I would be happy and humbled to be remembered every day as a proud Australian who “gave it a shot” and in doing so inspired others to pursue their dreams and passions with humility, love and compassion.
Professor John Thompson of the University of Sydney praised Prof Scolyer’s “cheerful, down-to-earth, ‘launceston lad’ personality”.
“His amazing career in medicine and pathology research has brought great benefits to countless cancer patients around the world,” he said.
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