Dear ACTM Members, friends, and colleagues,

It is with great sadness that I am writing to inform you that Professor Peter Leggat, our Immediate Past President, passed away peacefully in Brisbane on 20 September 2023.

Funeral Details:

Date: Friday 29 September, 2023
Time: 11:00am
Location: Our Lady of The Rosary Catholic Church, 1 Kenmore Rd, Kenmore, QLD, Australia
Livestream: Link
For those colleagues in Townsville or Cairns who wish to join other friends
of Peter, rooms have been booked to watch the livestream at the JCU. In Townsville (Padua Theatre)
and in Cairns (Room A003-003)
Condolence messages: Please leave your messages here: Link
Reception: All welcome to attend a reception at the Kenmore Tavern after the funeral.
Donations: In lieu of flowers, please send donations to James Cook University Emeritus Professor Peter Leggat Memorial Fund or St John Ambulance Australia

James Cook University has established a memorial fund to honour Prof Peter Leggat’s legacy.
The fund will be used to support and inspire generations of students and early career academics pursuing travel and tropical medicine.

Peter was a much respected and beloved friend and colleague in the world of travel medicine and tropical medicine, and one of Australia’s greatest contributors to these fields. He has also been a wonderfully supportive and inspirational mentor for many in Australia and around the world. Always a gentleman, Peter’s quiet wisdom and calm guidance will be sorely missed by so many of us. Peter was a medical doctor, scholar, teacher, enabler, innovator, and most of all, a great leader. He had many talents, skills, areas of expertise, and countless accolades – I will highlight just a few of them here.

As a Founding Fellow of the ACTM in 1991, Peter contributed enormously to the College over many decades. He served five terms as President of the ACTM (1996-1998, 2002-2004, 2006-2008, 2016-2018, and 2020-2022), and held Executive positions as Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and Dean of the ACTM Faculty of Travel Medicine. In 2016, he was instrumental in establishing the ACTM’s peer-reviewed journal, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, and as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, led the journal to achieve its first impact factor, an impressive 3.711. Peter presided over many ACTM meetings and conferences over the years, and was delighted with the highly successful Southern Cross Travel Medicine and Tropical Medicine Conference just a few weeks ago in Sydney, where many of us last had the pleasure of spending time with him.

After over 30 years of service at James Cook University (JCU), including many leadership roles, Peter recently retired as Professor Emeritus, and Director Emeritus of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases at JCU. As an academic researcher, Peter published over 500 journal papers (with over 9000 citations), more than 100 book chapters and 30 books, and presented over 400 papers at national and international conferences.

In addition to his leadership roles at the ACTM and JCU, he was Immediate Past President of the International Society of Travel Medicine, member of the Australasian Public Health Medicine Council, member of the Expanded Board of the International Federation for Tropical Medicine, Dean of Education for The Australasian College of Aerospace Medicine, Director of the World Safety Organization Collaborating Centre for Aerospace and Travel Health Safety, Distinguished International Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and a Fulbright Alumni Adviser to the Australian-American Fulbright Commission. Peter was also a Medical Officer in the Australian Army, a Colonel in the Australian Defence Force, and an Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General of Australia. Despite so many impressive achievements in such diverse fields, Peter was always unassuming, humble, gracious, congenial, and ready to share his wisdom.

Peter’s exceptional service to the community was recognised by many highly prestigious awards. In 2013, Peter was very deservedly recognised as a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to medicine as a specialist in the fields of tropical and travel medicine. And in 2021, Peter was honoured as a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John, and presented with the award at Government House in Canberra.

On a personal note, I first met Peter when I was studying for my Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at JCU many years ago. I was fortunate enough to experience first-hand how encouraging, supportive, empowering, and inspiring he was to young clinicians and early career researchers. Many friends and colleagues have echoed the same sentiments in recent days. During my MPHTM, Peter mentored me and a colleague to conduct our first clinical research project on intradermal rabies vaccination at a travel clinic and helped us author our first paper, which was published in the Journal of Travel Medicine. Over many years, Peter has also been a very generous source of wise, diplomatic, and thoughtful advice for me and others serving on the ACTM Executive and Advisory Councils, especially in challenging times like during the pandemic.

Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with Peter’s wife Pan, his father Bruce, and his family, friends and colleagues around the world. While we are all devastated about Peter’s sudden and unexpected passing, we will all have very fond memories of him as a cherished friend and amazing colleague.

Rest in peace Peter, knowing that your remarkable legacy will forever be with us.

Prof Colleen Lau
ACTM President
On behalf of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine