High-profile rural dermatologist Dr Ian McCrossin has been recognised in the Australia Honours, becoming a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Living and working on the NSW South Coast, Dr McCrossin was recognised for more than four decades of contributions to the specialty including as president of the Australasian College of Dermatologists from 2009 to 2011.

Besides running three private practices, other achievements include 25 years spent working with the Royal Flying Doctors Service, and decades as a staff specialist at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney.

Dr Ian McCrossin

Additionally, he qualified as a fellow Royal Australian College of Physicians Chapter of Sexual Health in 2005 and ran a specialist sexual health clinic at Royal North Shore Hospital before making the switch to dermatology in the 1980s.

The ACD’s first ever president based outside a metropolitan city, he said he was most proud of his work to bring more dermatologists to the bush and bring Indigenous doctors into the specialty.

“I basically got sick of seeing Aboriginal patients getting stuffed up and so I put education into our training program on that and also obtained funding for training places set aside for Aboriginal doctors to become dermatologists,” he said.

“I think we’re the only college which has done that and it has been a success.”

Outside of medicine, Dr McCrossin is a keen sailor, being crowned International Flying Dutchman Class World champion in 1995, 1997 and 2000, and runner up three times.

And although now aged in his 70s and no longer working full time, he said he still loved dermatology and had no plans to retire any time soon.

He told the limbic: “As long as I’m fit and healthy, I’ll keep going for a while yet.”

Each year, the limbic scours the lists for specialists joining the Order of Australia honours. If you believe someone has been left off, please get in touch at [email protected]