Adeline ‘Addie’ Fagan, MD ’19

Adeline “Addie” Fagan, MD ’19, died on Sept. 19, 2020 due to COVID-19 complications. She was 28.

Addie was just beginning her second year of residency in obstetrics and gynecology in Houston. In July, she started a rotation in an emergency department at a hospital and became ill with COVID-19. She was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator and on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a specialized form of life support.

On Sept. 18, after being removed from ECMO and appearing to family and friends to be on the road to recovery, she suffered a massive brain bleed and passed away in the early morning hours of Sept. 19.

Her father, Brant Fagan, wrote an online journal to keep family and friends updated on Adeline’s condition throughout her illness.

Many members of the Jacobs School community reacted to the devastating news by remembering the Syracuse-area native as a caring and compassionate physician.

“Addie decided on a career in obstetrics and gynecology fairly late in medical school, but once she made up her mind, she was willing to do whatever it took to pursue her goal,” says Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and associate dean for faculty affairs. “She had an amazingly positive attitude and infectious smile and her passing will deprive thousands of women of her empathy and commitment to their health.”

“Addie was a bright spot in an often-dark world, exuberantly joyful, humble, troubled by the woes of others, and determined to leave this world a better place through her outreach on many fronts,” says Dori R. Marshall, MD, associate dean and director of medical admissions and assistant professor of psychiatry.

While a student at the Jacobs School, Adeline participated in four global medicine outreach trips to Haiti. David M. Holmes, MD, clinical associate professor of family medicine and director of global health education, remembers her as “a wonderful person who really cared about people and the world.”

A medical school classmate of Adeline’s says “what I will remember most about Addie is her perseverance and her joy.”

The classmate noted Adeline also loved music and was the leader of the medical student acapella group.

“I also remember her dedication to her family. Medical school is so busy, and she lived two-plus hours from home, but she still managed to see her family weekly and talk to them daily.”

Adeline is survived by her parents and three sisters.

In Adeline’s memory, alumni, classmates, faculty, the Class of 2021, and the community joined her family to create the Adeline M. Fagan, MD ’19 Memorial Fund. Gifts to the fund can be made online or by calling toll free 1-855-GIVE-2-UB. Mailed donations should be directed to: University at Buffalo Foundation Inc., c/o Adeline M. Fagan, MD ’19 Memorial Fund, PO Box 730, Buffalo, NY 14226-0730.