Mary Fowkes

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Mary Fowkes
BornNovember 1, 1954
MD/PhD)
Occupation(s)Physician, neuropathologist
Known forAutopsies on COVID-19 victims
Study of long-term debilitating effects of COVID-19

Mary Fowkes (November 1, 1954 – November 15, 2020) was an American physician and neuropathologist. She is noted for her early autopsies of COVID-19 victims that significantly contributed to the identification of long-term effects of the novel coronavirus.[1][2] Her findings that victims had suffered multiple organ failures resulted in the recommendation for use of blood thinners as a part of the treatment process.[1]

Early life

Mary Fowkes was born in

State University of New York Upstate Medical University.[1][2]

She completed her residency at

chief medical examiner office. She joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan as an assistant professor of pathology and went on to become the director of neuropathology.[1]

Research

Fowkes and her team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital studied

endothelial cells through the blood vessels.[1][3] The team found that patients had microscopic blood clots in a few organs, including the lungs and heart, but had significant clots in the brain, indicating that the patients had suffered from strokes.[2] The team found these observations in a diverse group of victims ranging from young victims, who typically are not a target age group for strokes, to older victims.[4]

The findings from autopsies performed by Fowkes and her team led to the increased use of blood thinners as a part of the treatment process, resulting in improved responses in many patients.

oscillating saws to open the skulls of COVID-19 victims during autopsies, in order to remove the brain, potentially exposed her to the virus through aerosolized fragments of the bone and droplets of blood.[1] In a conversation with the BBC World Service, Fowkes reinforced the importance of performing these autopsies despite the risks posed to the operating physicians.[4][1]

Death

Fowkes died on November 15, 2020, of a heart attack at her house in Katonah, New York, aged 66.[1]

Working papers

Unrefereed preprint of a paper detailing findings by Fowkes and team:

  • Fowkes, Mary; Cordon-Cardo, Carlos; et al. (May 22, 2020). "Pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2: targeting of endothelial cells renders a complex disease with thrombotic microangiopathy and aberrant immune response. The Mount Sinai COVID-19 autopsy experience".
    medRxiv 10.1101/2020.05.18.20099960v1
    .

References

  1. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Puzzling, often debilitating after-effects plaguing COVID-19 "long-haulers"". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "Why Autopsies Are Proving Crucial During Covid-19". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "BBC Science in Action: Coronavirus: How can Covid-19 affect the brain?". BBC. June 5, 2020. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  5. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived
    from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
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