Rufus Clarke, Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching for the School of Medicine Sydney from 2010 to 2012, died in February. Rufus was born in England and had a distinguished academic and clinical career in multiple phases across his life. He attended Christ’s College, Cambridge for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology. He then completed medical training at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London. His PhD and MD were both in the area of intestinal epithelia, a field in which he published extensively. He held research and academic positions in physiology and anatomy at the Universities of Cambridge and then Nottingham before he came to Australia in 1976.

He came to Australia to be the Foundation Professor of Anatomy at the newly created and innovative medical program at the University of Newcastle. He was immediately involved in medical education as the Foundation Chair, Undergraduate Education Committee for the Faculty of Medicine and was deeply involved in developing approaches to assessment for the new program.

His commitment to quality assessment in medical education continued throughout his career. His contribution to assessment at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons through a 12 year membership of the Board of Examiners was recognised by Fellowship of that College. He also consulted to the Colleges of Ophthalmology, Pathology, Radiology, Rural and Remote Medicine and Dermatology on their Fellowship examinations.

While at Newcastle, Professor Stephen Leeder encouraged Rufus’s interest in public health. He completed an MPH in 1989 at the University of Sydney and went on to be involved with that course. He became a Foundation Fellow of the newly formed Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM), part of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, in 1991. Rufus immediately applied his learning as Advisor in Community Health to the Greater Newcastle Area Health Service and went on to hold a series of positions within the NSW health services including as the Director of Health Services Development for Wentworth Area Health Service (WAHS) in Sydney. At WAHS he fostered public health and developed a particular interest in evaluation and health promotion. He made a significant contribution to the AFPHM and the RACP and over a 6 year period contributed to curriculum and assessment development and chairing the Faculty Education Committee. In 2010, the RACP awarded Rufus the College Medal for his outstanding service to the College.

Rufus contributed to the development of a number of undergraduate medical programs including those at the University of Sydney, the University of Western Sydney, Macquarie University and the School of Medicine, Sydney at the University of Notre Dame Australia. Here, his notable contributions were to oversee an external review of the assessment program and to establish a new governance structure to support the medical curriculum. He approached every task with rigour and published extensively on medical education. His stature in this field was recognised by awards.

Rufus remained an active contributor until the end of his life. He was a strong advocate for the environment and committed to action to address climate change. He understood that human health is completely dependent on a healthy environment.

Rufus will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues here at UNDA and also at the many other institutions where he contributed. We convey our sincere condolences to his partner Jeanette Sheridan.