Rate My Professor Robin Fraser

Emeritus Professor Robin Fraser ONZM (1933-2024), BSc(Med), MB BS (University of Sydney), PhD (Australian National University), MD (University of Otago), FRCPA, was a distinguished anatomical pathologist whose career spanned over five decades. He commenced his medical practice as a general practitioner in rural New South Wales in 1961, followed by roles as Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago. In 1974, he joined the University of Otago, Christchurch, as Associate Professor of Pathology and Consultant Pathologist at Christchurch Hospital. He progressed to Head of the Department of Pathology and Associate Dean of Research in 1988, and was conferred Emeritus Professor status in 1999, officially retiring in 2009 after 46 years of dedication, though he continued research collaborations and community involvement thereafter.

Fraser's seminal contributions centered on the liver sieve—the fenestrated endothelium of liver sinusoids regulating lipoprotein entry—which he named and extensively studied. His PhD research on lipoprotein metabolism laid the foundation for investigations into how dietary lipids, ethanol, nicotine, hormones like adrenaline and serotonin, ageing, diabetes, alcoholism, cirrhosis, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and sepsis affect sieve fenestrations and porosity. Collaborating internationally, including with Professor Eddie Wisse and Professor Victoria Cogger, he authored hundreds of peer-reviewed papers, including "The liver sieve and atherosclerosis" (2012), "Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells and Regulation of Blood Lipoproteins" (2012), and "Cystathionine-Gamma-Lyase-Derived Hydrogen Sulfide-Regulated Substance P Modulates Liver Sieve Fenestrations in Caecal Ligation and Puncture-Induced Sepsis" (2019). A masterful educator, he taught pathology to hundreds of medical students using practical methods such as coronial autopsies and alcohol programme visits, earning teaching accolades and serving as the inaugural Patron of Christchurch Medical Students' Association in 1996. His honors include the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2006 for services to medical research, Honorary Life Membership of the Canterbury Medical Foundation in 2003, and Honorary Medical Director in 2006. Fraser's enduring legacy is evident in the eponymous Robin Fraser Research Supporter Award, the annual Robin Fraser Lecture, and a portrait in the Denis Stewart Pathology Museum, reflecting his profound influence on pathology, hepatology, and medical education.