William McLEOD
McLEOD, Dr. William Alastair
On October 7, 2023, Dr. William Alastair McLeod passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 89 in Vancouver, B.C. Alastair was predeceased by his eldest son Doug and will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 36 years, Diane, children Shelagh (Brad), Rob (Sarah), John (Sarah) and Elizabeth (Will) and grandchildren Camryn, Andrew, Fraser, Ellie, Annie and Georgia.
Alastair was born in Moosomin, Saskatchewan and raised in Edmonton, Alberta where he met his three lifelong friends, a true testament to Dad’s endearing devotion to his friendships and commitments. Alastair received his medical degree from the University of Alberta in 1958. Postgraduate training included a Master of Science from the University of Minnesota as well as his dermatology residency at the Mayo Clinic. In 1967, Alastair was recruited as the first dermatologist to practice at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver and went on to establish the hospital’s Division of Dermatology and served as its Head until 1999. Alastair joined the UBC Division of Dermatology as a Clinical Instructor in 1966 and rose to the rank of Clinical Professor Emeritus in Dermatology in 1995. At the national level, Alastair served in virtually all of the major leadership and executive positions in Canadian dermatology. His most profound contribution was in the area of HIV and AIDS care. In the early 80’s, when HIV/AIDS first became an epidemic, he pioneered the care of adult patients with HIV/AIDS in a manner that was exemplary, not only to dermatologists but also to all health care professionals. In addition to his extensive work on numerous hospital committees involving HIV/AIDS care, Alastair served as Chairman of the AIDS Care Group from 1984 – 1986 and was Acting Program Director of the HIV/AIDS program for five years from 1992 – 1997, one of the first programs of its kind in Canada. In 2003, Alastair was awarded the AccolAIDS Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his prolific hospital work, Alastair maintained his dermatology practice for more than 50 years. Alastair was an outstanding clinician, educator and researcher and will also be remembered as a compassionate humanist and dedicated leader.
Alastair was the proud and dedicated father of five children and grandfather to six grandchildren. Along with his quick wit and reverberating laugh, he always had a passion for learning whether in understanding the stars at his beloved cabin on Lillooet Lake or figuring out the intricacies of his next woodworking or house/cabin renovation project. Alastair/Dad will be dearly missed his family, friends, colleagues, patients and the many people for whom he was a mentor.
If you’d like to make a donation in memory of Alastair, please donate to St. Paul’s Hospitals “Lights of Hope” at http://donate.helpstpauls.com/goto/dermatology. A Celebration of Alastair’s Life will be held on Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 2 p.m. at Point Grey Golf & Country Club.