Peter Fowler Obituary, Death – It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of the demise of Dr. Peter Fowler, who was not only our founder but also our mentor, teacher, and friend. Dr. Fowler passed away this morning, November 16, 2022, at University Hospital in London, Ontario, a site where he had spent a significant portion of his pathbreaking career. He was surrounded by his family when he went away, and it was rather fitting that he did so there. It is tough to explain the scope and significance of Dr. Fowler’s work, as stated by Dr. Robert Litchfield, the Medical Director of the Fowler Kennedy Clinic. “We are all feeling the loss in the soul of the clinic today,” adds Dr. Robert Litchfield.
He leaves behind an enduring legacy in the field of athletic medicine, as well as in the medical community in London, Ontario, and Canada, and all across the Western University campus.
As a pioneer in his field, Dr. Fowler was recognized for his significant contributions to the advancement of sport medicine in Canada in 2018 by being inducted into The Order of Canada. Dr. Fowler got his start in the medical field as the first orthopedic surgical resident at Western University, where he worked under the tutelage of the late Dr. Jack Kennedy. During his time there, he gained knowledge of and went on to perfect surgical techniques and rehabilitation using an arthroscope, which he used to treat injured professional and amateur athletes from all over the country.
Following the completion of his residency, he and Dr. Kennedy would go on to develop what had begun in 1974 as a modest clinic for the treatment of athletic injuries into The Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, which is now recognized as one of the largest and most comprehensive sport medicine clinics in North America. Dr. Fowler was one of just two Canadians to ever be honored with this post, and he was elected president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sport Medicine, which is the most powerful society in this profession. In this role, Dr. Fowler became the only Canadian to ever hold this position.
In addition to this, he was the inaugural president of the International Society of Arthroscopy and Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), which has since grown to become the largest and most influential sport medicine society in the entire world. Dr. Fowler also played an essential part in research, as evidenced by the fact that he wrote dozens of book chapters and several hundred peer-reviewed papers throughout the course of his career. He was especially pleased with the research that his team at Fowler Kennedy had published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study contrasted the effectiveness of knee arthroscopy with that of non-operative treatment for knee arthritis.
He was particularly proud of this work. This article was recognized as one of the Top Achievements in Health Research by the Canadian Institute of Health and the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2009, and it has continued to have a significant influence on the practice of arthroscopy all over the world. Dr. Fowler’s vision for the Fowler Kennedy Clinic was to create a clinic in which surgeons would work alongside primary care physicians, physiotherapists, and athletic therapists with the common goal of providing injured athletes with the best possible care that is currently available.
This was accomplished by building the Fowler Kennedy Clinic. This emphasis on collaboration, which includes the two primary institutional partners, Western University and London Health Sciences Centre, is such a significant part of his ongoing legacy as well as the legacy of the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic. [Citation needed]
