Person
Mackay, Patricia (1926 - 2015)
OAM
- Born
- 18 August 1926
New Zealand - Died
- 1 September 2015
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Anaesthetist
- Alternative Names
- Wilson, Patricia (maiden name)
Summary
Patricia Mackay was a widely respected anaesthetist who made significant contributions in the field, her lasting legacy considered to be greater patient safety in anaesthesia. Her work focused on the dangers of intraoperative hypotension, the role of hypothermia in neurosurgery, airway management in tetanus, and the effect of nitrous oxide on bone marrow. For over 30 years she was at the Royal Melbourne Hospital where she helped to establish modern intensive care management. She set up the first acute pain service in Victoria; instituted new record-keeping procedures and morbidity and mortality meetings; and, as mentor to many trainees, improved their formal education. As Chair of the Victorian Consultative Council on Anaesthetic Mortality and Morbidity Mackay introduced a framework for adverse event classification, undertook a campaign to increase reporting, developed a close working relationship with the coroner's office, and encouraged the reporting of critical incidents and near misses. She was President of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists from 1966 to 1968.
Details
Chronology
- 1947
- Education - MB ChB, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
- 1952
- Education - Diploma of Anaesthesia (DA). University of Melbourne
- 1953
- Education - Diploma of Anaesthesia (DA), Royal College of Surgeons of England
- 1953 - 1955
- Career position - Junior Anaesthetic Specialist, Dunedin Hospital, New Zealand
- 1954
- Life event - Settled in Australia
- 1954
- Education - Fellow, Faculty of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Surgeons of England
- 1954 - 1955
- Career position - Lecturer, University of Otago, New Zealand
- 1955 - 1958
- Career position - Assistant Director of Anaesthetics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
- 1956
- Career position - Civil Consultant to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)
- 1956 - 1962
- Career position - Secretary, Australian Society of Anaesthetists
- 1958
- Career position - Director of Footscray and District Hospital
- 1965 -
- Career position - Senior Sessional Anaesthetist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
- 1965
- Career position - Acting Director of Anaesthetics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
- 1966 - 1968
- Career position - President, Australian Society of Anaesthetists
- 1977 - 1978
- Career position - Associate Director of Anaesthetics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
- 1984 - 1991
- Career position - Chairman, Department of Anaesthetics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
- 1990 -
- Career position - Member of the Board of Management of the Mansfield Hospital
- 1991
- Career position - Chairman, Victorian Consulting Council on Anaesthetic Mortality and Morbidity
- 1992 -
- Career position - Consultant Anaesthetist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
- 1992
- Career event - Retired from clinical practice
- 1999
- Award - Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Medalist
- 1 Jan 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal - for service to medicine
- 2001
- Award - AMA Woman in Medicine Award, Australian Medical Association (AMA)
- 2008
- Award - Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) - for service to medicine in the field of clinical anaesthesia, particularly as a contributor to the improvement of quality and safety of patient care, and to the community
Related entries
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regularly edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details
Journal Articles
- 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. Details
- Anon, 'Dr Patricia Mackay, OAM 1926 - 2015', Australian anaesthetist: the magazine of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists (2015), 75-7. Details
Newspaper Articles
- Dulhunty, Kylie, 'Trail-blazing leader in anaesthetics was pioneer for patient safety - and a great cook: Patricia Mackay anaesthetist 18 August 1926 - 2 September 2015', Sydney morning herald (2015), https://www.smh.com.au/national/trailblazing-leader-in-anaesthetics-was-a-pioneer-for-patient-safety--and-a-great-cook-20151023-gkhc2j.html. Details
Resources
- 'Mackay, Patricia (1926-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1475765. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Patirica Mackay (nee Wilson)', in The Early Medical Women of New Zealand, University of Auckland, 2025. https://www.earlymedwomen.auckland.ac.nz/2024/07/14/patricia-mackay-nee-wilson/. Details
- 'Patricia Mackay (Wilson), OAM', in List of Fellows, Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History, Melbourne, 2025. https://www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au/fellows/fellows-1954-onwards/patricia-mackay-wilson/. Details
See also
- Herd, Margaret ed., Who's who in Australia 2002 (Melbourne: Crown Content, 2001), 2020 pp. Details
Ailie Smith and Helen Cohn
Created: 4 March 2003, Last modified: 17 June 2025