Brian MacMahon MD, PhD, a Needham resident and renowned epidemiologist died on Wednesday, December 5th at Beth Israel Deaconess medical center in Boston. He was 87 years old. Brian MacMahon was born on August 12, 1923 in Sheffield, England. After education in public schools he entered the University of Birmingham where he qualified in medicine in 1946. After serving for two years as a Ship Surgeon, he returned to the University of Birmingham, receiving the degrees of DrPH (Public Health) in 1949, PhD (Social Medicine) in 1952 and MD (with Honors) in 1955. He taught in the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Birmingham for four years before moving to the United States. After a year as a student in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, he taught in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Community Health of the State University of New York for four years where he was appointed Professor in 1957. In 1958 he was appointed Professor and Chairman of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health where he remained until retirement in 1988. He served on many advisory and supervisory committees of the National Institutes of Health, the National Center for Heath Statistics, the American Cancer Society, the Canadian Cancer Society, the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, as well as several industry-wide medical advisory committees. His research was in the fields of breast cancer, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease and the congenital malformations. He published five books or monographs and over 200 papers in the medical literature. He received the Edwards Memorial Medal of the University of Wales, The Donald Reid Medal of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Lucy Wortham James Clinical Research Award of the Society for Surgical Oncology, the Thomas Francis Medal of the University of Michigan, the Mott Prize of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation, the Prix Antoine Lacassagne of the French National League Against Cancer and Medals of Honor from the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. He also received honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Athens, the State University of New York and the University of Birmingham.
Brian married Heidi Graber on August 28, 1948. They had four children: Michael, Kevin, Kathleen and Mary. Michael and wife Marcy live in New Hampshire, Kevin and wife Debie in Daytona, Florida, Kathleen and husband Jason Barkeloo in Ohio and Mary in Massachusetts. Brian has 3 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brian’s name may be made to the Brian and Heidi MacMahon Epidemiology Education Fund, c/o Harvard School of Public Health, Office for Resource Development, Attn. Gift Processing, 401 Park Drive East, Atrium 3, Boston, MA, 02215. Arrangements by the Eaton Funeral Home 1351 Highland Avenue, Needham MA.