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Alexander MacAra

{{Short description|Scottish public health physician (1932–2012)}}

{{EngvarB|date=February 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}

{{Infobox scientist

| honorific_prefix = Sir

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|FRCP|FRCGP}}

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| birth_name = Alexander Wiseman MacAra

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1932|05|04}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2012|06|21|1932|05|04}}

| birth_place = Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland

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| citizenship = British

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| workplaces = {{ubl|Bristol University|British Medical Association }}

| alma_mater = London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

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Alexander Wiseman MacAra {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRCP|FRCGP}}{{cite web|title=Sir Alexander Wiseman Macara|url= http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Details/6527 |accessdate=11 May 2014|publisher=RCPLondon}} (4 May 1932 – 21 June 2012), also known as Sandy MacAra, was a Scottish professor of epidemiology at Bristol University and chairman of British Medical Association (BMA) from 1993 to 1998.{{cite journal|last=Davies|first=Peter|title=Obituary – Alexander MacAra|journal=British Medical Journal|volume=345|pages=e4644|date=9 July 2012|doi=10.1136/bmj.e4644|s2cid=220100193}}{{cite news|last=O'Sullivan|first=Jack|title=Profile: Scalpel to blunt an axe: Dr Sandy MacAra: He is leading the BMA out of the sickroom. But where to?|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-scalpel-to-blunt-an-axe-dr-sandy-MacAra-he-is-leading-the-bma-out-of-the-sickroom-but-where-to-jack-osullivan-reports-1412918.html|accessdate=4 May 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=10 July 1994}}

Early life

Alexander Wiseman MacAra was born on 4 May 1932 in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland.{{cite news|last=Obituary|title=Sir Sandy MacAra|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9363152/Sir-Sandy-MacAra.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628231136/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9363152/Sir-Sandy-Macara.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 June 2012|accessdate=4 May 2014|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=28 June 2012}} Both his father and grandfather were Church of Scotland Ministers. {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/aug/06/sir-sandy-macara |title=Sir Sandy Macara obituary |work=The Guardian |date=6 August 2012 |accessdate=21 February 2016}} Marion, his mother, was a civil servant. When he was six years old, MacAra was treated for paratyphoid fever, acute appendicitis and whooping cough.

MacAra was educated at Irvine Royal Academy. He studied at the Glasgow Medical School, Glasgow University, graduating with a medical degree in 1958.{{cite web|title=Obituaries – Sir Sandy (Alexander Wiseman) Macara, FRCP Edin|url=http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/obituary/sir-sandy-alexander-wiseman-MacAra-frcp-edin|publisher=Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE)|accessdate=4 May 2014}} He went on to gain a DPH from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 1960.

Early career

  • 1963 – 1997 Lecturer in Public Health, and later Consultant Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Bristol University
  • 1960s Founding member and subsequently Head of Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine, Bristol University

Career

From 1993 to 1998 MacAra was the chair of the ruling council of British Medical Association (BMA). He was consultant to the World Health Organisation (for over 20 years ), and he was president of the National Heart Forum. He was a member of the Council of the General Medical Council (GMC)

Campaigning

MacAra played a key role in smoking ban in public places which was introduced in 2007. In 2009 he called for the MMR vaccine to be made compulsory following an unfounded health scare which resulted in a fall in the take up rate of the vaccine within the UK.

Honours

MacAra was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP). In 1992 he received an honorary degree- Honorary Doctor of Public Health, Athens. He was created a Knight Bachelor in the 1998 Birthday Honours for services to the medical profession.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/queens-birthday-honours-1998-1164586.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627200115/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/queens-birthday-honours-1998-1164586.html |archive-date=2010-06-27 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Queen's Birthday honours 1998 |work=The Independent |date=13 June 1998 |accessdate=20 August 2019}}

Personal life

MacAra was married to Sylvia and they had two children, a daughter, Alexandra, and a son, James.{{cite news|title=Former BMA chairman Sir Sandy Macara dies|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-18580265|accessdate=4 May 2014|newspaper=BBC News (Bristol)|date=25 June 2012}} He died on 21 June 2012.

Obituaries

{{portal|biography|biology|United Kingdom}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4644 BMJ profile]
  • {{NPG name}}

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{{s-bef|before=Jeremy Lee-Potter}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the British Medical Association

|years=1993–1998}}

{{s-aft|after=Ian Bogle}}

{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:MacAra, Alexander}}

Category:1932 births

Category:2012 deaths

Category:People from Irvine, North Ayrshire

Category:People educated at Irvine Royal Academy

Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow

Category:Academics of the University of Bristol

Category:British public health doctors

Category:Fellows of the Royal College of General Practitioners

Category:Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Category:Princeton University faculty

Category:Knights Bachelor