Dr. Dorothea Zucker-Franklin, National Academy of Medicine member, pioneer in electron microscopy of blood cells at New York University School of Medicine, and third female president of ASH (1995), passed away November 24, 2015, at the age of 86.
Dottie was born in Berlin, Germany, but fled to the Netherlands with her family in 1936 to escape Nazism. There she attended the same school as Anne Frank and was forced into hiding in 1943. Arriving destitute in New York in 1948, Dottie graduated from Hunter College as class valedictorian and proceeded to attend New York Medical College on a scholarship. Dottie and her husband, immunologist Dr. Edward Franklin, who was a childhood neighbor from Berlin, enjoyed a close professional partnership until his death in 1982. The Franklins required separate home offices since, when together, their constant conversation precluded working effectively. However, together Dottie and Ed were able to accomplish a great deal. Aside from their professional accomplishments, they raised their daughter Deborah, cared for their much loved farm in the Berkshires, travelled internationally, and collected pre-Columbian sculptures. When visiting fellow Dr. Mordechai Pras showed Dottie amyloid tissue, her fascination with amyloid’s birefringence convinced Ed that it would be fun to learn more about this substance together. They jointly penned more than 20 articles on amyloid, identified its fibrillary nature, and showed that precursor serum amyloid A was cleaved by monocyte proteases, introducing the concept that cellular proteases modify amyloid in disease.
Dr. Steven D. Douglas of the University of Pennsylvania praised Dottie’s goal of juxtaposing numerous techniques to achieve “molecular morphology,” as stated in her book, Atlas of Blood Cells. He noted that, “Dottie's microscopy not only captured spectacular events in the cell, but was a magnificent form of medical and biologic creative art. Her innovative observations spanned cell biology, hematology, and immunology. With James Hirsch, she published the first evidence that neutrophil and eosinophil granules released their contents into the phagocytic vacuole. This remarkable discovery ushered in modern understanding of phagocyte function.” Her later studies explored electron microscopy of blood cells responding to cytokines, thrombopoietin, and HIV.
Dr. Barry Coller, ASH president in 1998, wrote, “I was very fortunate to have Dr. Zucker-Franklin as my professor when I was a medical student, my ward attending when I was a resident, and later (as “Dottie”) as my colleague and friend sharing a love for hematology. She was an ideal role model as a physician-scientist, devoted to both her elegant electron microscopic studies and to her patients. Megakaryocytes held a special place in her heart, as in mine! She set and met the highest standards for both research and clinical activities.” Dr. Ralph Nachman commented that “Dottie was a dedicated perfectionist who took great pride in the clarity of her data, particularly the impressive electron micrographs of platelets. She combined old fashioned morphology and molecular physiology.” Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, ASH President in 2008 added, “Dottie was a passionate hematologist, devoted to understanding the structure and function of blood cells. Our scientific collaboration taught me a great deal about what many consider the most complicated and beautiful cell in all of biology, the megakaryocyte.”
