Volume 68, Issue 6 Louisville Medicine | Page 32

Dr . MacMillan was a GLMS member for 50 years .
IN REMEMBRANCE

IN REMEMBRANCE : DUNCAN R . MACMILLAN , MD JAN . 3 , 1931 - AUG . 20 , 2020

Duncan R . MacMillan , MD , died at the age of 89 on Thursday ,

Aug . 20 . He lived a rich and productive life and passed away peacefully at home , surrounded by family .
Born to Charles MacMillan , MD , and Jesse Campbell , he grew up in New Brunswick , Canada during World War II before moving to Montreal , Canada with his family for high school . He was a great athlete playing hockey and baseball . He completed both his MD and BA cum laude at McGill University , while also playing on the rugby team . He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a navigator . He had always hoped there would be a flier in the family : and a grandson now has his pilot ’ s license . When his granddaughter graduates this spring from the University of Louisville School of Medicine , she will be the fourth generation to enter the healing profession .
His internship and residency were completed at Montreal Children ’ s and The Royal Victoria Hospital . He traveled for fellowship and research to Birmingham , England . While working on the ward of Montreal Children ’ s Hospital , he met his future wife Norma , who was training as a physical therapist . Norma and Mac celebrated their 60th anniversary this past June . He finished two more years of fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Iowa , before he took up his faculty position in the Department of Pediatrics at the UofL School of Medicine .
Arriving in 1966 , he quickly rose to professor by 1971 . While at UofL , he became a member of 19 professional societies including Charter Membership in the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists . He was a Founding Fellow of the North American Society for Pediatrics and Adolescent Gynecology . He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and the Royal Society of Medicine .
He has held countless committee chairs within the Department of Pediatrics , medical school and university settings , getting the work done always for academic and clinical progress .
“ Dr . Mac ,” as he was called by the residents , is best known for his 18-year tenure as Director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program . He trained numerous residents and his chief residents worked tirelessly to facilitate teaching , learning and leadership . Ms . Ashley who worked closely for decades with Dr . Mac pointed out that he recognized that relationships with the community affiliated hospitals were paramount in maintaining trust and effective communication . He made it a point to maintain good relationships between Children ’ s Hospital , the University , the local community and pediatricians out in the state .
With Dr . Mac you knew the glass was always half full . Ms . Ashley described him as positive , caring , sincere and unflappable in his beliefs . He could say no when scheduling issues arose . He took the position of , “ The buck stops here .” He used explanations and education as his frame
30 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE of reference for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines . He was a quiet and careful man and saved his bullets for the last extreme .
Dr . MacMillan was a GLMS member for 50 years .
While directing the medical education of the Department of Pediatrics he authored over 50 publications and obtained over $ 1.5 million dollars in grants , including three from the National Institutes of Health .
Serving as Director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program for 18 years also led to service as Assistant Dean for Clinical Offices at the University . His easygoing personality and typical shunning of the spotlight are best summed up by fellow workers and patients . “ He was a kind and a generous man - an honor to work for and with .” “ Dr . Mac was my doctor for many years and responsible for changing my life .” “ Dr . Mac was my daughter ’ s first endocrinologist . He was so warm and caring and quite a comfort to parents newly navigating Type I diabetes .”
Pediatric Grand rounds were always at 8:00 a . m . Friday . “ Doc Mac ” would always arrive at between 8:09 and 8:10 each Friday . Residents and faculty alike would glance at the door waiting for it to open . Yes , you could set your own watch for 8:09 / 8:10 and opening the door would be Doc Mac . To this day , none has solved the riddle of why this was so . Children to school , previous meetings or appointments … to this day we wonder if at 8:10 the door to Grand rounds opens , who will come through it ?! Maybe it was his beat-up old Ford Falcon that was the problem …
In memory of Duncan R . MacMillan , MD , close friends and colleagues of Dr . MacMillan have created the Duncan R . MacMillan , M . D . Endowed Memorial Lectureship Fund . The fund is an opportunity to share our respect for Dr . MacMillan and create a legacy in his name that will provide a state-of-the-art educational opportunity in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology for generations to come , ensuring that his legacy continues at the University of Louisville . Gifts to the fund should be made payable to the University of Louisville Foundation , noting the Duncan R . MacMillan , MD Endowed Memorial Lectureship Fund and sent to UofL Health Sciences Development Office , 132 East
Gray Street , Louisville , 40202 .
-Sal Bertolone , MD