Tributes have been paid to the extraordinary career of cancer and pathology specialist Dr Stephen McQuaid, who has died aged 64 after a short illness.
Born in Banbridge in July 1960, Stephen had a highly distinguished career that spanned four decades and more than 150 scientific articles.
Having attended Banbridge Academy and Queen’s University Belfast, he started his working life in 1982 at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where he was based for eight years.
In 1984 he joined Prof Dame Ingrid Allen’s internationally-renowned multiple sclerosis research group, exploring how viruses infect the central nervous system to cause life-threatening diseases. His research had global reach, resulting in numerous high-impact publications.
In 1990 Stephen moved from full-time research to a position as an NHS clinical scientist. In this new role, he used his extensive skills and knowledge to develop diagnostic tests for the benefit of Northern Ireland patients suffering from diseases of the brain and muscle.
He began to study part-time for a PhD, and by 1999, when he had graduated, he had established multiple international collaborations across Europe and North America, and many of these alliances remained active until his retirement just a few years ago.
In 2004 Stephen took up a post with responsibilities for a wider range of clinical tests in the department of cellular pathology at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
In 2012 he became a critical member of the pathology team established to implement a new facility known as the Northern Ireland molecular pathology laboratory.
This unique integrated laboratory, based in the Patrick Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, was developed as a partnership between the Belfast Trust and Queen’s University, and became the forerunner to the NI Regional Molecular Diagnostic Service, which provides tests – some of which Stephen developed himself – for more than 4,500 patients a year from across Northern Ireland’s healthcare trusts.
In 2007 Stephen also applied his expert pathology knowledge as an enthusiastic member of a working group to establish Northern Ireland’s first biobank, a facility which collects surplus high-quality clinical samples so that researchers and healthcare teams can have easier access for innovation and rapid translation of research findings back into clinical practice. It was launched in 2010 with Stephen as deputy director.
Biobank scientific director Prof Jacqueline James said: “Stephen was a team player, always generous with his time, and he loved to mentor those around him, sharing his expertise and enjoying the science that the biobank made possible.
“I am devastated to have lost my colleague, my right-hand man, and my great friend, but I am confident his contribution to pathology in Northern Ireland and beyond will remain a valuable legacy to us all.
“Stephen will be greatly missed by all those in the Northern Ireland biobank, his friends in the Patrick Johnston Centre for Cancer Research and colleagues from across the Northern Ireland pathology network. The world is a little less bright now that Stephen is not in it.”
Away from work and family, Stephen was passionate about rugby, playing at Banbridge Academy and later at Dromore Rugby Club, where he captained the first team and served on various committees, including serving a three-year term as club president from 2018.
Stephen was the husband of Elaine, loving father of Hayley, stepfather of Keri and Peter, a much-loved son of Annie and the late John McQuaid, and brother of Sean, Noel, Dympna, Anne and Kieran.
Following a funeral service at Roselawn Crematorium on September 6, family and friends gathered in Dromore Rugby Club (where the flag was flown at half mast) for a celebration of his life.
