With an illustrious career spanning more than three decades and multiple continents, PAH’s pre-eminent Staff Specialist Endocrinologist, Professor David McIntyre’s dedication to advancing the field of Diabetes and Endocrinology has earned him a 2023 Australian Diabetes Society (ADS) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Distinguished for his significant contributions to clinical advancement, research, teaching and mentorship, Dr McIntyre is renowned as one of Australia’s foremost diabetes management experts.
Reflecting on his many achievements, Dr McIntyre says it was pioneering the introduction of contemporary diabetes management programs to Australia that has made the greatest impact.
“The thing I’m probably most proud of is the introduction of the DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating) program, which has really made a big difference to the lives of people with Type 1 Diabetes by teaching them how to effectively adjust their insulin doses,” he said.
“That’s something we imported from the UK, who had taken it from Germany around 2005. It’s become standard practice for at least twenty centres around Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand, so we’ve really spread it around.”
Dr McIntyre’s PAH career started in 1988, where he trained under Director of Endocrinology Dr Don Cameron and Principal Diabetologist Dr Alan Stocks, before completing his final year of training in Belgium.
Returning to Australia in 1991, Dr McIntyre launched head-first into his career, splitting his time between clinical work at the PAH, lecturing at the University of Queensland School of Medicine, and working as Director of Endocrinology at Mater Hospital from 1993-2007, where he founded the Queensland Diabetes Centre in 1998, establishing the Mater as an advanced endocrinology and obstetric medicine training site.
Dr McIntyre says he is privileged to have mentored over 40 trainees over the course of his career.
“I've had a number of trainees including the former directors of endocrinology here through my training institutions over the years. That's been one of the most satisfying aspects, to see many of those people go on themselves to take senior leadership and senior research roles across Australia.”
Led by a passion for research, Dr McIntyre is highly acclaimed for co-leading the development of the first Queensland Clinical Guidelines for Gestational Diabetes in 2015 and their revision in 2021. Taking his wealth of knowledge back to Europe, Dr McIntyre has maintained a Fellowship with the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA) for the past six years.
“I’ve had a lot of contact with people in Denmark around diabetes and pregnancy, and have travelled there for six to eight-week stints since 2017 to help them develop their guidelines for gestational diabetes. In conjunction with that, I’ve been involved in other diabetes research at the DDEA.”
It was his dedication to developing the clinical space that brought Dr McIntyre back to PAH in 2007, where he co-founded the Beacon Clinic at PACE (Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence), building on the successful model developed by Professor Tony Russell. Dr McIntyre has worked as its lead Endocrinologist since.
“For the last ten years or more, I've been working in the Beacon Clinic for the sub-specialised Metro South Ambulatory Diabetes Service, which offers care in conjunction with general practitioners to people with diabetes of all types,” he said.
As he continues his partnership with both the PAH and Mater clinics, Dr McIntyre takes pride in the way the two hospitals work together for their patients.
“I think in our diabetes and endocrinology space, the PA and Mater hospitals work very well together, because we always have the benefit of patients in mind.”
After seeing the PA Hospital through many changes over the years, Dr McIntyre says the hospital’s adaptability has placed it at the forefront of modern diabetes management and treatment.
“More recently, I’ve been working largely in diabetes care, and also in managing the medical complications of pregnancy, particularly diabetes and obesity. I’ve seen a lot of things change over the last thirty years,” he said.
“PA Hospital has always run a really high-quality diabetes service and has moved with the times. It has embraced the technology, and innovated in many ways, particularly in the online telehealth space.
“I've been very happy to be part of a really high-quality diabetes service at the PA Hospital.”
Dr McIntyre remains clinically active at PA Hospital’s Beacon Clinic, and maintains his position as a senior clinician at the Mater Hospital.
Congratulations Dr McIntyre on this milestone achievement and thank you for your ongoing dedication to your practice.