Professor Rona MacKie, Scottish dermatologist and melanoma authority☆

RonaMcLeodMacKie was born in 1940 in Dundee, Scotland, an only child. Her father, Norman Davidson, was a biochemistry professor at Glasgow University, and so she was familiar with academic life. She went to four schools before the age of 10 due to familymoves, including Aberdeen and London, but finished her education at the Laurel Bank School for Girls in Glasgow (a private school; University of Glasgow, n.d.b.). The all-female environment, she thinks, encouraged and supported her to pursue her interest in maths and physics. In 1994, she married James Black, a famous Scottish pharmacologist and recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine, awarded for his work on beta-blockers (leading to the development of propranolol) and for his work on histamine antagonists (developing cimetidine; Sir James Black, OM, 2010). Professor MacKie’s hobbies include spending time with her family, sport, and music. In particular, she gains huge pleasure from spending time with her five grandchildren, often taking them skiing and being “tail-end Charlie.” She is also a keen golfer and hiker. Operatic music is another interest; she completed an external university degree in opera studies 10 years ago and supports a large number of opera companies in the United Kingdom while also serving on the board of the Scottish Opera for the past 6 years.