Richard Scolyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Anthony Scolyer (1966-12-16)16 December 1966 (age 58) Launceston, Tasmania |
| Education | University of Tasmania University of Sydney |
| Occupation(s) | Pathologist and Translational Researcher |
| Organization | Melanoma Institute Australia |
| Spouse | Katie Nicoll[1] |
| Children | 3[2] |
Richard Anthony ScolyerAO (born 16 December 1966[3]) is an Australian pathologist. He is a senior staff specialist in tissue pathology and diagnosticoncology atRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital,[4][5] and Conjoint Professor, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health,The University of Sydney.[6] He and ProfessorGeorgina Long were honoured as 2024Australians of the Year.
Scolyer provides a clinical consultation service for the diagnosis of difficult pigmentedlesions and receives more than 2,000 cases for opinion from Australasia and beyond annually. He integrates his clinical practice with co-leading amelanomatranslational research laboratory.[7]
In February 2019, he was ranked the world's 10th leading publisher on the topic of melanoma and the world's leading publisher in melanoma pathology.[8] Scolyer has co-authored more than 700 publications and book-chapters on the subject,[4][7] and was an editor of the fourth edition of theWHO classification of tumours of the central nervous system.[9]
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In June 2023, Scolyer was diagnosed with a stage 4glioblastoma IDH wild-type brain tumour.[10][1]With treatment for glioblastoma mostly unchanged for the last 20 years, Georgina Long worked to develop a world-first treatment for Scolyer's brain tumour based on breakthroughs in melanoma research. Scolyer underwent experimental combination immunotherapy before and after surgical excision of the tumour, delaying his surgery to do so. Scolyer was also administered a cancer vaccine personalised to the tumour genetic markers, in order to help the immunotherapy detect the cancer cells. His treatment was documented in the journalNature Medicine,[11] paving the way for futureclinical trials. While medical oncologists have applied these techniques successfully to melanoma, this treatment is non-standard for brain cancer due to concerns about toxicity, whether drugs will reach the brain, and speed of tumour development.[12]
In February 2024, eight months after surgery, Scolyer's cancer had not returned. This was an encouraging result with potentially broader implications due to the pioneering approach taken, with the normal prognosis for this glioblastoma being six to nine months, though oncologists warned that it was too early to judge the effectiveness of the treatment, compared to standard protocols.[13] On 10 March 2025, Scolyer announced the cancer had returned, and he was given a prognosis of three months.[14][15]
Scolyer received theNew South Wales Premier's Award for Outstanding Cancer Research in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.[16]
He was appointed anOfficer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to medicine, particularly in the field of melanoma and skin cancer, and to national and international professional organisations" in the2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.[4]
He was named 2024 Australian of the Year alongside Georgina Long by theNational Australia Day Council, a not-for-profitAustralian Government-owned social enterprise.[17]
Scolyer won Social Impact Book of the Year at the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards[18] for his book,Brainstorm.[19]
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