06/08/2026
Today we honor the life and legacy of Professor Richard Scolyer AO.
Professor Scolyer was a pioneering pathologist, researcher, mentor, and advocate whose work helped transform melanoma care and save countless lives. As Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia, he helped shape advances in research, diagnosis, and treatment that changed outcomes for patients around the world.
One of the country's most respected medical minds, Professor Scolyer became a national treasure. In 2024, he was named Australian of the Year alongside Professor Georgina Long. Their work on advanced melanoma, once considered a death sentence, has saved countless lives, and the encouraging findings from treating Professor Scolyer's brain tumour have helped trigger an early-stage clinical trial in the United States.
After being diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023, Professor Scolyer chose to face his own illness with extraordinary courage and generosity. Drawing from melanoma research breakthroughs, he became the world’s first brain cancer patient to receive pre-surgery combination immunotherapy, helping open new conversations around what may be possible in brain cancer treatment.
He also shared his journey publicly, giving hope, insight, and visibility to a disease that urgently needs more awareness and progress. In doing so, he continued to contribute to the future of cancer research, even in the face of his own diagnosis.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, colleagues, and all those impacted by his passing. His legacy will live on through the lives he changed, the science he advanced, and the hope he gave to so many.
Rest in peace, Professor Richard Scolyer.
