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
Irvine Royal Academy is a six-year non-denominational secondary school in Kilwinning Road, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
History
In 1572, King James VI provided funds to found the King's School of Irvine at Kirkgatehead. A new building was e ...
.
He studied at the
Glasgow Medical School, Glasgow University, graduating with a
medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
in 1958.
He went on to gain a
DPH from the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...
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
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of physician, medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the pu ...
(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
The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles), abbreviated as ''MMR''. The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, w ...
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
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
in the
1998 Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in suppleme ...
for services to the medical profession.
Personal life
MacAra was married to Sylvia and they had two children, a daughter, Alexandra, and a son, James.
He died on 21 June 2012.
[
]
Obituaries
* British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union and professional body for physician, doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA ...
(BMA) Link
Link 2
* BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
br>Link
* ''Scottish Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
'
Link
* ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'
Link
* Bristol University
The University of Bristol is a public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Bristol, which had ...
br>Link
* Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...
(RCPE)
Link
References
External links
BMJ profile
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacAra, Alexander
1932 births
2012 deaths
People from Irvine, North Ayrshire
People educated at Irvine Royal Academy
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Academics of the University of Bristol
British public health doctors
Fellows of the Royal College of General Practitioners
Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Princeton University faculty
Knights Bachelor