Dr. Lowrie first became interested in mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit in the early 1960's while serving as an Assistant to the Director of Biological Sciences Laboratories at Fort Detrick, MD. To pursue this he attended Yale University and earned a Master of Public Health degree in 1966 with a major in Medical Entomology. He continued his studies at the John Hopkins University and received a Doctor of Science degree in 1971 with majors in Medical Entomology and Parasitology.
Shortly afterward, Dr. Lowrie moved south to the New Orleans area and began a long affiliation with Tulane University. Hired as a Research Scientist at the Tulane Regional Primate Research Center in Covington, his interests focused on the epidemiology of vector transmitted diseases, especially the human filarial parasite transmitted by mosquitoes that can lead to elephantiasis. In addition to laboratory research, he undertook field studies in Colombia, Guatemala, but most extensively in Haiti, where individuals afflicted with the disease were discovered through blood examinations and treated with curative drugs. The latter part of his career at the Primate Center was spent as part of a multidisciplinary research team studying Lyme disease. The vaccine now used to protect humans against the disease was tested first in monkeys at the center. Dr. Lowrie was responsible for challenging the effectiveness of the vaccine by placing Lyme-infected ticks on vaccinated monkeys.
Dr. Lowrie also served as an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He taught the major portion of the Medical Entomology course for 18 years, and gave lectures in the Malaria and Parasitology courses. He retired in 1997. Over his many years of work, he published over 60 papers in various professional journals.
He was extremely active in the LMCA and served on the Board of Directors from 1994-2000. He served on and chaired several committees during his service. He also is an active member of the AMCA, and a past member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Dr. Lowrie's commitment to service is also evidenced by his other activities. He has refereed manuscripts from the following journals; Journal of Medical Primatology, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Journal of AMCA, Journal of Medical Entomology, and the Journal of Parasitology. He served as a regional member of the Editorial Review Board of Wing Beats.