The sudden and untimely death of John Ruhno has deprived many patients of his well regarded expertise in the fields of clinical immunology and allergy. For both patients and colleagues, John’s most significant contribution has been to the management of anaphylaxis in Australia.
John was born on 23 July 1952 in Toowoomba, Queensland, and educated at The Southport School. He graduated in medicine from the University of Queensland in 1976. After specialising in paediatrics at Royal Brisbane Hospital, he trained in clinical immunology and allergy at Royal Newcastle Hospital. In 1985, as the Royal Australian College of Physicians’ Bencard Travelling Fellow, he took up the position of Fellow in Immunology and Molecular Virology at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada, documenting basic and clinical research findings on nasal polyposis.
Although suffering from cardiomyopathy in the 6 months before his death, John had returned to full-time work. He died on 15 December 2006, at the age of 55. He is survived by his wife Alexandra and daughter Christina.
