Professor Richard Scolyer AO

Richard Anthony Scolyer AO, our friend and colleague, died on 7 June 2026 at the age of 59. Richard became one of the world's leading melanoma pathologists and an authority on the classification of melanocytic tumors, contributing to the World Health Organizations’ definitive standards in the field. He was appointed Vice-Chair of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Melanoma Expert Panel in 2013, co-led the Australian Melanoma Genome Project, and served as lead pathologist for the NIH-funded Cancer Genome Atlas Melanoma Project. Together with Professor Georgina Long AO, he became Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia in 2017. His contributions were recognized with two Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2023, and he was named Joint Australian of the Year 2024.

Richard was a 'pathologists' pathologist' — a devoted teacher, generous mentor, and tireless collaborator whose knowledge, skill, and warmth were felt by all who worked alongside him. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the broader melanoma community. Click here for a full vale.