Joanna Fowler facts for kids

Joanna Sigfred Fowler (born August 9, 1942) is a brilliant scientist. She worked at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Dr. Fowler also taught psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She led a program at Brookhaven that studied brain chemistry. Her work focused on how diseases and aging affect the human brain. She also developed special tools called radiotracers. These tools help us understand brain chemistry better. Dr. Fowler has received many important awards for her amazing discoveries. One of these is the National Medal of Science.

Life and Education

Joanna Fowler was born in Miami, Florida. This happened on August 9, 1942. She went to the University of South Florida. There, she earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1964. She worked in laboratories during her studies.

Later, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry. This was from the University of Colorado in 1967. After that, she did more research. This research was at the University of East Anglia in England. She also worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Dr. Fowler started working at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1969. She worked there until she retired in January 2014. She is now a professor emeritus at Stony Brook University. This means she is a retired professor. She is married to Frank Fowler. He is also a retired professor of organic chemistry. He taught at Stony Brook University.

Discoveries and Achievements

Dr. Fowler's research has led to many new discoveries. It has also helped create important scientific tools. Her work has greatly impacted how we use nuclear medicine. This field helps diagnose and treat health problems. Recently, she has been studying how genes, brain chemistry, and behavior are connected.

In 1976, Dr. Fowler and her team made a big breakthrough. They created a special form of sugar. This sugar was "tagged" with a tiny bit of radioactive material. This special sugar is now widely used. It helps scientists study how the brain works. It also helps doctors diagnose and plan treatment for cancer.

Dr. Fowler was key in developing a molecule called FDG. FDG is a fluorine-18-labeled glucose molecule. It lets doctors measure how the human brain uses glucose. This can be done without surgery. FDG, combined with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, is very important. It is used for brain studies in conditions like schizophrenia and aging. It is also used to study cancer.

Another major achievement was creating the first radiotracers. These tools help map monoamine oxidase (MAO). MAO is a brain enzyme. Enzymes are like tiny workers in our bodies. MAO helps control levels of chemicals that nerve cells use to talk to each other. It is one of the main enzymes that regulate these chemicals in the brain.

Using these new radiotracers, Dr. Fowler made an interesting discovery. She found that people who smoke have lower levels of MAO in their brains and lungs. This might explain why some people smoke. For example, people with depression often smoke more. Both conditions involve problems with how nerve cells communicate. Her discovery has led to many studies about MAO levels and smoking.

Dr. Fowler holds eight patents. These patents protect her inventions for radiolabeling procedures.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Fowler's excellent scientific work has been recognized with many awards. One of the highest honors she received was the National Medal of Science. President Obama gave her this award in 2009. In 2003, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very important group of scientists.

She has received many other honors, including:

• 1997 – Paul C. Aebersold Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine
• 1998 – Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society
• 1998 – E.O. Lawrence Award from the Department of Energy
• 2000 – Alfred P. Wolf Award from the Society of Nuclear Imaging in Drug Development
• 2002 – Glen T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry from the American Chemical Society
• 2005 – Distinguished Basic Scientist of the Year Award from the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI)
• 2008 – National Medal of Science from the National Science Foundation
• 2009 – National Academy of Science Award in Chemical Sciences
• 2011 – Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award from the American Chemical Society
• Distinguished Scientist Fellowship from the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research