Lotte Strauss
Lotte Strauss (1913–1985) was a German born, American practicing pathologist.
Strauss was a pioneering paediatric pathologist, best remembered as co-describer of Churg–Strauss syndrome (now eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, EGPA). She was a founding figure in perinatal and paediatric pathology in the United States and the first woman to hold a full-time faculty position at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1913, Strauss began her medical studies in Germany before fleeing to Switzerland and eventually the United States in 1938 due to the rise of the Nazi regime. After postgraduate work in pathology at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University, she joined Mount Sinai Hospital, where she built a distinguished career in diagnostic pathology and teaching.
In 1951, together with pathologist Jacob Churg (1910–2005), Strauss published a landmark paper describing a form of necrotising granulomatous vasculitis characterised by asthma and eosinophilia. This condition became known as Churg–Strauss syndrome. Her contributions extended far beyond vasculitis; she was instrumental in establishing paediatric pathology as a formal discipline, mentoring generations of physicians and producing foundational studies in perinatal disease, congenital malformations, and placental pathology.
Strauss served as an attending pathologist at Mount Sinai for over four decades. In 1975, she co-founded the Society for Pediatric Pathology (1965), where her leadership helped set standards for training and certification in the field. A passionate educator and mentor, Strauss was admired for her rigour, compassion, and deep scientific curiosity.
Biography
- 1913 – Born April 15 in Nuremberg, Germany
- 1930s – Began medical studies in Germany; fled Nazi persecution to Switzerland; completed medical studies in Sienna, Italy (1937); then emigrated to the United States (1938)
- 1938–1940s – Completed postgraduate pathology training at Harvard and Columbia; Research assistant in bacteriology at the Beth Israel Hospital, New York
- 1940 – Worked with pediatric pathologist Sydney Farber (1903-1973) at the Children’s Hospital, Boston
- 1941 – Appointed to Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
- 1951 – Co-published seminal paper with Jacob Churg describing a novel vasculitic syndrome (later known as Churg–Strauss syndrome)
- 1953 – First pediatric pathologist, The Mount Sinai Hospital
- 1966 – Professor of pathology, The Mount Sinai Hospital and one of the founding faculty at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- 1971 – Special Consultant in Perinatal Pathology to the National Institute of Health; Pioneered work in perinatal pathology, congenital abnormalities, and paediatric disease
- 1975 – Co-founded the Society for Pediatric Pathology
- 1983 – Received the Jacobi Medallion, Mount Sinai Alumni
- 1985 – Died July 4 in the United States
Medical Eponyms
Churg–Strauss syndrome (1951)
Now known as Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). EGPA is eosinophil-rich, necrotizing granulomatous inflammation often involving the respiratory tract; with necrotizing vasculitis predominantly affecting small to medium vessels; and associated with asthma and eosinophilia
Allergic granulomatosis is a clinical and pathologic syndrome occurring in individuals with an allergic background. It is characterized by fever, leukocytosis, eosinophilia and frequent pulmonary infiltrations… accompanied by manifestation of systemic—vascular, cardiac, gastro-intestinal, renal, nervous and cutaneous—involvement.
Key Contributions
- Churg–Strauss syndrome – Co-described a granulomatous necrotising vasculitis in 13 patients with asthma and eosinophilia.
- Paediatric pathology – Among the first to advocate for paediatric pathology as a dedicated subspecialty; developed major institutional pathology services at Mount Sinai.
- Perinatal and placental pathology – Advanced understanding of foetal and neonatal disease through rigorous histopathologic studies.
- Medical education – Mentored numerous clinicians and pathologists; developed teaching protocols still in use today.
- Lotte Strauss Prize (1986 – ) recognizes the meritorious work by an individual 40 years of age or younger in a subject germane to pediatric pathology
Society for Pediatric Pathology: Co-founded by Strauss in 1975, this society formalised paediatric pathology as a recognised medical subspecialty. It aimed to promote research, training, and standards of care in paediatric diagnostics, especially perinatal and congenital pathology. Her leadership helped guide the first board-certification processes in paediatric pathology in the U.S
Major Publications
- Strauss L. The pathology of gargoylism; report of a case and review of the literature. Am J Pathol. 1948 Jul;24(4):855-87
- Churg J, Strauss L. Allergic Granulomatosis, Allergic Angiitis, and Periarteritis Nodosa. Am J Pathol. 1951 Apr; 27(2):277–301
- Strauss L, Churg J, Zak FG. Cutaneous lesions of allergic granulomatosis: a histopathologic study. J Invest Dermatol. 1951 Dec ;17(6):349-359.
- Strauss L. Congenital cardiac anomalies associated with mongolism. Trans Am Coll Cardiol. 1954 Mar;3:214-21.
- Sohval AR, Gaines JA, Strauss L. Chromosomal sex detection in the human newborn and fetus from examination of the umbilical cord, placental tissue, and fetal membranes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1959 Jan 9;75:905-22.
- Okudaira Y, Strauss L. Ultrastructure of molar trophoblast. Observations on hydatidiform mole and chorioadenoma destruens. Obstet Gynecol. 1967 Aug;30(2):172-87.
References
Biography
- Lotte Strauss. New York State Journal of Medicine 1985; 85: 677
- Aufses AH Jr, Niss BJ. This House of Noble Deeds: The Mount Sinai Hospital, 1852-2002. 2002:
123, 194, 293, 399
Eponymous terms
- Persson UN, Hansen BU, Odeberg H. Jacob Churg och Lotte Strauss. Förenades av ett gemensamt öde [Jacob Churg and Lotte Strauss. They were brought together by a mutual destiny]. Lakartidningen. 1995 Apr 26;92(17):1797-8.
- de Campos FPF, Geller SA. Churg-Strauss Syndrome: a syndrome described on clinical observation and autopsy findings. Autopsy and Case Reports 2013;3(2):1-4
eponym
the person behind the name
Graduated from Southampton Medical School in 2017 with BMBS. Working in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Emergency Department in Perth, Australia.
Dr. Elaine Rabin is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the Program Director for the Residency in Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital | Sinai EM |