Charles Mackenzie is an Australian pathologist who has worked in various areas of basic research and tropical medicine as a bench scientist, as a diagnostic pathologist, and as field worker focused on filarial infections in Africa, Asia and South America. Following a research position at the National Medical Research Council laboratories in London, he headed up the Tropical Pathology Section at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before moving to become Chair of the Pathology Department in the Medicine Schools at Michigan State University.
He has spent many years working in Cameroon, Sudan and Tanzania defining the clinical conditions associated with onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, and working towards better treatments for these conditions. In 1999 whilst seconded to the Mectizan Donation Program in Atlanta he worked with African countries to develop their new filariasis elimination programs. He continued with one of these, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, to develop and assist their National Lymphatic filariasis program to be the first country in Africa to distribute treatments for this devastating debilitating infection.
Charles has chaired various committees in the NTD world including the DMDI Committee of the NNN, The Onchocerciasis NGO Committee, The Onchocerciasis Expert Committees of Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen, as well the Global Alliance for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis.
Originally trained as a veterinarian Charles maintains a life long interest in equids and their health, and can often be seen attending to needy donkeys in Africa.