The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

The researchers and staff of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research were saddened to hear of the recent passing of Distinguished Alumnus Professor Paul Seale AM.

Paul was an eminent clinical pharmacologist and respiratory physician whose contribution to respiratory medicine in Australia spanned more than four decades.

Over the years he nurtured many of us, provided advice when asked, opened doors and facilitated pathways to success. At the Woolcock, Paul was particularly valued for his leadership of the Clinical Trials Unit, which he led for 10 years. He brought extensive clinical and pharmacological expertise to the development and conduct of clinical trials, while ensuring that the Unit operated safely and with appropriate scientific and governance standards. He subsequently served as Deputy Director of the Institute, providing trusted advice to the management team on governance and institutional decision-making.

Paul was part of an important generation of Australian clinicians and researchers who helped transform the understanding and management of asthma. His work combined clinical medicine with clinical pharmacology, with a particular focus on the effectiveness and safety of treatments for respiratory disease and on translating evidence from research into better care for patients.

His connection with the Woolcock story began early. Paul was a colleague of Professor Ann Woolcock, who founded the Institute of Respiratory Medicine in 1981. In 1987, Ann chaired a multidisciplinary session on asthma at a pharmacology congress in Australia. The session was subsequently presented to Physicians at the 1988 conjoint meeting of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Thoracic Society of Australia. Recognising the potential to turn the material into something practical for general practitioners, Ann and her colleagues Paul Seale, respiratory physician Abraham Rubinfeld and Richard Ruffin refined it into the Six Step Asthma Management Plan, published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 1989.

The plan was an important contribution to asthma care. Rather than leaving management solely in the hands of specialists, it provided a practical framework for assessing asthma severity, achieving and maintaining the best possible lung function, using appropriate medication, providing patients with a written action plan, and ensuring education and regular review.

This work reflected the philosophy that characterised Paul’s career: rigorous clinical science was most valuable when it could be translated into better decisions for patients.

After completing his medical training, which included serving as a Professorial Registrar to Sol Posen at Sydney Hospital, Paul undertook a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology in London before returning to Sydney in 1979. He became Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Sydney and a consultant physician in respiratory medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. His research encompassed the pharmacology and treatment of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, including the efficacy and safety of inhaled corticosteroids and other therapies.

Paul’s influence in Respiratory Medicine extended well beyond the Woolcock. He served as President of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and was Congress President of the 5th Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Congress, held in Sydney in 1998. He was also President of the Australian Respiratory Council and contributed to the international respiratory research community through his editorial work with Respirology and the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology. Professor Seale also coauthored 196 peer reviewed medical journal articles during his career.

In 2014, Paul was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to medicine as a Clinical Pharmacologist, particularly in the field of respiratory illnesses.

Professor Paul Seale leaves an enduring legacy in Australian respiratory medicine and in the Woolcock community. Through his clinical and research work, his leadership of clinical trials, his contribution to asthma management and, perhaps most importantly, the generations of clinicians and researchers he supported, his influence will continue to be felt for many years to come.