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Dr. Robert C. Lowrie Jr.:
1999 Hathaway-Ritter Distinguished Achievement Award
 Dr.
Lowrie first became interested in mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit
in the early 1960's while serving as an Assistant to the Director of
Biological Sciences Laboratories at Fort Detrick, MD. To pursue this
he attended Yale University and earned a Master of Public Health degree in
1966 with a major in Medical Entomology. He continued his studies at
the John Hopkins University and received a Doctor of Science degree in 1971
with majors in Medical Entomology and Parasitology.
Shortly
afterward, Dr. Lowrie moved south to the new Orleans area and began a long
affiliation with Tulane University. Hired as a Research Scientist at
the Tulane Regional Primate Research Center in Covington, his interests
focused on the epidemiology of vector transmitted diseases, especially the
human filarial parasite transmitted by mosquitoes that can lead to
elephantiasis. In addition to laboratory research, he undertook field
studies in Colombia, Guatemala, but most extensively in Haiti where
individuals afflicted with the disease were discovered through blood
examinations and treated with curative drugs. The latter part of his
career at the Primate Center was spent as part of a multidisciplinary
research team studying Lyme disease. The vaccine now used to protect
humans against the disease was tested first in monkeys at the center.
Dr. Lowrie was responsible for challenging the effectiveness of the vaccine
by placing Lyme-infected ticks on vaccinated monkeys.
Dr. Lowrie also
served as an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Tropical
Medicine and Parasitology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical
Medicine. He taught the major portion of the Medical Entomology course
for 18 years, and gave lectures in the Malaria and Parasitology courses.
He retired in 1997. Over his many years of work, he published over 60
papers in various professional journals.
He was extremely active in
the LMCA and served on the Board of Directors from 1994-2000. He
served on and chaired several committees during his service. He also
is an active member of the AMCA, and a past member of the American Society
of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Dr. Lowrie's commitment to service
is also evidenced by his other activities. He has refereed manuscripts
from the following journals; Journal of Medical Primatology, American
Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Journal of AMCA, Journal of
Medical Entomology, and the Journal of Parasitology. He served as a
regional member of the Editorial Review Board of Wing Beats.
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