Professor Ray McMahon

30 October 1956 - 18 February 2025

Ray McMahon passed away on Tuesday, 18 February 2025, after short illness. He was 68. Ray was one of the most delightful and lovable characters in international pathology and had superb organisational, administrative and diplomatic skills, tinged with an extraordinarily friendly and humorous character.

He was brought up in the West of Ireland and trained in Medicine in Galway City, qualifying in 1979. He initiated his pathology training in the excellent Pathology Department in that city and, in 1984, he moved to Manchester with his wife, Claire, also a doctor and now a retired General Practitioner, to continue his pathology training. Here he worked with some of the giants of international Pathology, particularly Professor Harold Fox.

He was appointed Consultant Histopathologist at the Manchester Royal Infirmary in 1990 and from there on in his career blossomed. Whilst an excellent diagnostic pathologist and his CV speaks for his academic prowess with two theses and the publication of numerous influential papers in the medical literature, his first love was always in education and training. He served numerous educational positions for the Medical School at the University of Manchester with aplomb and also had important roles for the Royal College of Pathologists, particularly in examining. Later in his career the University of Manchester bestowed a Professorship on Ray and he became the Professor of Gastrointestinal Pathology. At this time, he had clearly seen the light as he became a mono-specialist Gastrointestinal Pathologist.

There is little doubt that his greatest accomplishments were in his numerous roles in the International Academy of Pathology, itself the largest Pathology educational Society in the world, and its 'daughter' Society, the British Division of the IAP (BDIAP), the latter serving the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium. He was elected to Council of the BDIAP in 1995 and served as its Treasurer for 12 years from 1996. A sure hand with economics and investments, Ray guaranteed the financial stability of the Society for all those years. He was President of the BDIAP from 2018 to 2020. He served with his typical proactive and yet diplomatic leadership and the Society is so much richer for his commitment and energy in these roles.

Particularly given his experience with the finances of the BDIAP, he was elected Chair of the Finance Committee of the IAP, the world organisation, in 2012. This role he undertook for two years and then transferred to become the General Secretary of the IAP, a role that continued up until his sad demise. As IAP Secretary, Ray had been quietly aligning the IAP with international best practices and was the driving force in making appropriate amendments to IAP Constitution and by-laws. Such was the high regard that the officers at the IAP held for Ray, with his quiet but highly skilful diplomatic manner, his sense of humour and Irish wit, that he was recently appointed President-Elect of the IAP, a position that only two Pathologists working in the UK had held in the past. It was also just a few months ago that BDIAP Council ratified the establishment of the ‘Ray McMahon Lecture’, only the second named lecture that the Society has ever had. Whilst the timing is unfortunate, the establishment of that lecture will safeguard Ray's legacy with the BDIAP, in particular. To reflect his massive contributions to pathology and the BDIAP, just last year he became one of the very few who have been awarded both BDIAP Medals, only one of each being awarded each year: the Cunningham Medal for contributions to the BDIAP and the President’s Medal for contributions to international pathology education.

What of Ray outside his professional life? Well, he was a loving family man and he was always so strongly supported in his professional life by Claire, his wife. He had three devoted daughters, Aoife, Niamh and Sorcha, and six grandchildren, Conor, Dylan, Saoirse, Ava, Cillian and Mariella Rae. He was an ardent supporter of Manchester United but had become a little disillusioned with the recent decline in the fortunes of the club. I always tried to reassure him that it was not as bad as supporting Sheffield Wednesday, which I have for nearly 60 years. Before his medical problems, he was extraordinarily fit and an accomplished long-distance runner, which included completing the London Marathon.

Some 20 years ago, he had to have a gastrectomy. He lived with this with extraordinary stoicism and optimism. Mind you, there was one definite advantage to having had this operation. It meant that, after only one or two beers, he was in a very happy frame of mind and would regale all with extraordinary stories, with his marvellous Irish jocularity and his West of Ireland brogue. There are so many stories that I could tell about Ray but let’s just go for one that sticks firmly in the memory. It is the inaugural Sri Lankan British School of Pathology meeting in Colombo in 2007, an international development, one of many, that the BDIAP had established with Ray’s support and help. At the end of the meeting, our hosts provided a marvellous but very formal banquet in a grand hotel. Sri Lankan pathologists and their partners were dressed in their finery and Professors McMahon, Shepherd and Williams, and Claire, Andrea and Viv, were looking pretty dapper too. Now there was a multi-piece band playing what seemed to be a mixture of classical Sri Lankan music and Abba songs. Towards the end of the evening, many of the attendees being relatively well oiled at this time, including Ray, he got up and went to talk to the band leader. He came back smiling and told me that the band did indeed know the music to ‘Danny Boy’ and Ray duly entertained the entire audience with his rendition of that traditional Irish anthem to the amusement of all.

So many people, in national and international pathology, mourn Ray’s premature passing. Professor Sir Nicholas Wright, former Pathological Society President, writes that “Ray was the life and soul of every party and one of the most generous-hearted men I have ever met”. Professor Sir James Underwood, former President of the Royal College of Pathologists and of the BDIAP, says “Despite his medical history, he always seemed so resilient, buoyant and good-humoured. Many will miss him and for many reasons.” Professor Geraint Williams, former BDIAP President, writes “Ray was everyone’s friend, whose smile would light up the dreariest of days. A dreadfully sad day for Pathology everywhere.” Professor Peter Hall, former Pathological Society Secretary, says “Ray was a great man. Urbane, humorous, intelligent, warm, always courteous and great company and an excellent leader and pathologist. Will be missed by all.” Those messages and so many more from his national and international friends truly reflect the exceptional character and pathologist that Ray was.

So, Ray, fly high, dear friend, and be reassured that your extraordinary legacy of all things good in pathology will remain with us.

Professor Neil A Shepherd, Professor of Gastrointestinal Pathology, Gloucestershire, UK and former BDIAP President