The Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) is deeply saddened to share news of the passing of Dr. Frederick R. Singer, a pioneering leader in bone health, a dedicated clinician and researcher, and a valued member of the BHOF Board of Trustees and our Scientific and Medical Advisory Council. Dr. Singer joined the BHOF (then the National Osteoporosis Foundation) Board of Trustees in 2017, when the Paget Foundation merged with NOF. A former Chairman of the Paget Foundation, Dr. Singer continued his lifelong dedication to patient education and advocacy as a BHOF Trustee until stepping down from the Board in April 2025.
Dr. Singer received his premedical training at UCLA and went on to study medicine at the University of California–San Francisco, where he first developed his interest in bone diseases. He later completed fellowships in endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London. His academic journey included teaching at Harvard Medical School and faculty appointments at both USC and UCLA.
Dr. Singer directed the Bone Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center before becoming Director of the Endocrine/Bone Disease Program at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, where he cared for cancer patients experiencing bone complications and did advanced research in abnormal bone metabolism. He also served as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Singer served as past President of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). He also joined American Bone Health’s Medical & Scientific Advisory Board, helping to shape its mission to raise awareness and provide evidence-based resources to the public. His research interests spanned skeletal complications of malignancy, Paget’s disease of bone, primary hyperparathyroidism, osteoporosis, and the role of vitamin D in breast cancer and malignant melanoma.
He also contributed nationally as a leader in public health, serving on numerous advisory committees, including as Chairman of the U.S. Public Health Service FDA Endocrinologic Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee, as a member of NIAMSD ad hoc review groups on osteoporosis, and as Co-Chairman of the NIAMSD National Research Plan Task Force on Bone Biology and Bone Diseases. He was on the editorial boards of leading medical journals including Calcified Tissue International, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Osteoporosis International.
Dr. Singer was a passionate advocate for patients. His insights and leadership strengthened our efforts to ensure that education and prevention remain at the center of our work.
Dr. Singer’s legacy is one of compassion, scientific excellence, and unwavering dedication to patients. He will be remembered not only for his contributions to advancing the field of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease, but also for the generosity of spirit he shared with colleagues, patients, and the broader bone health community.
The BHOF community is profoundly grateful for his service, leadership, and friendship. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.