IOF was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Lorraine (Lorie) Anne Fitzpatrick, MD. who was the Chair of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Committee of Corporate Advisors from 2016-2018. Dr Fitzpatrick passed away on February 22, 2023 at the age of 69. 

IOF President Cyrus Cooper stated: “I had the great pleasure of knowing Lorie as a colleague when we worked together at the Mayo Clinic and in my capacity as IOF President. Lori’s major contributions to IOF and to the bone field were many. Her important work as a physician, researcher and scientific editor, and later her leadership in industry, all served to benefit patients with chronic diseases including osteoporosis. She will be remembered as a truly extraordinary researcher, educator, author and bone health advocate who always had the patient at heart. On behalf of all of us at IOF, I extend our sincere condolences to Lorie’s family and friends.”

Dr Fitzpatrick’s many accomplishments are revealed in a beautiful obituary, which also highlights her many outstanding lifetime achievements:

Aside from being an outstanding, caring physician, author, sought-after educator, volunteer, excellent home chef, harp player, and entertainer who lived her life with integrity, passion, and enthusiasm, she gave charitable donations to many organizations, including The American Society of Endocrinologists and, most recently, Caring for Friends, a 48-year-old food bank in the Philadelphia area.

As a physician, Lorie most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Radius Health, Inc. from July 2015 until her retirement on March 31, 2019. She then worked as a medical consultant for the past four years. Prior to that, she held director positions at GlaxoSmithKline from August 2006 to July 2015 and Amgen Inc. from 2004 to 2006. Both positions focused on her love of osteoporosis and oncology and involved a vast array of responsibilities, such as ensuring the ethical care and treatment of subjects in various clinical trials and submitting accurate data to international regulatory agencies for review and approval of experimental medications. She was instrumental in securing the approval of several drugs for patients with chronic, debilitating diseases, helping to improve their lives.

Lorie began her 35-year physician interest in bone health and clinical research at the Mayo Clinic from 1989 to 2004, where she was the first female full physician. Her focus was on the bone microarchitecture research laboratory. Her professional responsibilities included lecturing, as she was sought for her ability to explain complex osteoporosis concepts to professional organizations and aiding national sales force teams with scientific understanding. A 2016 article entitled ‘When a Fracture is More Than a Fracture’ - devastation from losing independence, the power of empathy, and the stigma of osteoporosis best describes her compassion and philosophy when interacting with patients.

Lorie volunteered her medical training and expertise at the National Center for Research Resources, National Institute of Health (NIH), on the Advocacy Committee of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), and as Chair and member of the Public Communications Committee and the Media Relations Steering Committee of The Endocrine Society (TES). She also served on the Advisory Committee for the Office of Research on Women's Health at the NIH.

Lorie's authorship achievements include serving as Associate Editor for The Mayo Clinic Proceedings and the American Medical Association Scientific Advisory Board: Osteoporosis Guidelines. She authored or collaborated on 268 peer-reviewed scientific articles or papers, including single chapters in endocrinology textbooks. Lorie prepared five extensive monographs and associated materials, and she authored 13 editorial reviews of bone or endocrine scientific data.

Lorie received a B.S. in Molecular Biology from Wellesley College in 1976 and her medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago in 1980. She often volunteered as representative of the college for student recruitment a function she truly treasured.