Key Points
- Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws has died aged 70.
- She became widely known in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- She made regular media appearances and worked with the World Health Organisation.
Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, who was one of the leading voices guiding Australia through the COVID-19 pandemic, has died aged 70.
She was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2022.
Her husband Richard Flook said she died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday night.
Who was Mary-Louise McLaws and what's her legacy?
McLaws was an Australian epidemiologist who specialised in infectious diseases.
She became widely known in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and made regular public appearances providing advice and insight.
She called for an expedited vaccine rollout and mandatory face masks early in the pandemic.
McLaws was a trusted voice who was frequently consulted by the media for her expertise during the pandemic, and looked to by the public for her insights into what to expect.
McLaws was a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program Experts Advisory Panel for Infection Prevention and Control Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19.
She was also a member of the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission COVID Infection Prevention and Control taskforce.
In 2022, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to medical research, particularly to epidemiology and infection prevention, to tertiary education, and to health administration".
McLaws graduated with a PhD in epidemiology in 1992 after earlier undertaking a bachelor of science and a postgraduate public health degree.
McLaws remembered as a 'voice of reason' in dark times
NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday remembered McLaws as a truly great Australian.
"From leading the charge to eliminate HIV, contain pandemics and helping stop the spread of Swine Flu," the premier wrote.
"There are very few health challenges our country faced in Professor McLaws' lifetime, that she did not tackle head on."
Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett reflected McLaws left behind a rich legacy from decades of work.
"She's been working in this space for over 40 years, so she was someone who came into the pandemic with really helpful background experience," Prof Bennett told ABC Radio Sydney.
"(She) then brought that (experience) into the pandemic when particularly her genuine warmth and concern for people really came through in the way she helped people understand (the situation)."
Outgoing Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton, who led the state's public health response to the pandemic, said he - like the public - felt reassured listening to McLaws.
Her gentleness and warmth set her apart, but so too did her unwillingness to shy away from nuance, Sutton said.
McLaws was also steadfast and happy to speak plainly about how she saw things, he said.
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"We knew that if she had something to say really stridently, or with some force and vigour, that there was a reason behind it," Prof Sutton told ABC Radio Melbourne.
"She'll be seen as that reassuring, expert voice through our most difficult days.
"She played a huge role in making us feel that we were being stewarded through that far too long a period of crisis in a way that we knew we'd get to the other side."
Newly appointed Victorian Chief Health Officer Clare Looker remembered Prof McLaws as a calm and compassionate voice throughout the pandemic who was committed to translating evidence for the community.
"We have lost a fierce public health advocate," Looker said.
Infectious diseases physician and Australian National University associate professor Sanjaya Senanayake thanked McLaws, his "dear friend", for guiding Australians through such a torrid period.
VicHealth chief executive Sandro Demaio said McLaws was a generous and kind leader who helped countless Australians through the darkest times of the pandemic, while University of South Australia biostatistics professor Adrian Esterman described McLaws as an esteemed colleague and a voice of reason.
With additional reporting by AAP.
