Obituary of Evelyn Josephine Fisher, M.D.

Evelyn Josephine Fisher, M.D. April 4, 1941 - December 29, 2020 Evelyn was born April 4, 1941 to Josephine and Otto Fisher, M.D. She was raised in Indian Village, Detroit, along with her younger sister, Justine, and attended Country Day School and Liggett, where she enjoyed playing field hockey. During her pre-teen years she began studying her fathers medical books just for fun. She majored in Russian and pre-med in college and left at the end of her junior year to attend Wayne State University Medical School. Evelyn completed her internship at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and did her residency in Internal Medicine and completed her fellowship in Infectious Disease, with a specialty in Tropical Disease, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Upon completion of her medical studies Dr Fisher became a senior staff member of the Infectious Disease faculty at Henry Ford Hospital, teaching residents and fellows and treating patients. Dr. Fisher saw her first AIDS patient in 1982 and within a few years two-thirds of all AIDS patients in Michigan were seen at Henry Ford because of her reputation. Despite the fear of the unknowns associated with this disease, felt by both the general population and many in the medical community, Dr. Fisher was at the forefront of the treatment of AIDS patients. She passionately believed all patients deserved the best available treatment, regardless of possible personal risks. Dr. Fisher, Infectious Disease Fellow Dr. Norman Markowitz, Nurse Kevin Frasier and Social Worker Madelyne Markowitz teamed together in this huge effort to diagnose and alleviate the symptoms of these patients, while also educating the community about this disease, trying to dispel the many false rumors that attempted to malign their fellow humans suffering with AIDS. To further educate the community and provide a support group, Evelyn co-founded the Wellness Network. Concurrently the Infectious Disease Research Lab Studied treatment for the disease and its many complications. Drs. Fisher and Markowitz acquired numerous grants to establish clinical trials of various drugs and the effectiveness of their combinations. With the assistance of CEO David Benfer they developed the Southeast Michigan AIDS Consortium to provide a network of resources for AIDS patients. In addition to her work in AIDS, Dr. Fisher utilized her fluency in Spanish as the staff physician at the Chass Clinic, a Latino Public Health Clinic in Detroit. She was also the Medical Director of the Pallister-Lodge Methadone Clinic at Henry Ford Hospital. Because of her extensive service as a clinician, teacher, researcher, and author of many publications, Evelyn was recognized by many national and international organizations and received many awards over the years. Locally, in 1985 The Detroit News named her Citizen of the Year, the Detroit Science Center bestowed on her the Trailblazer of the Year Award, Michigan Governor Blanchard asked her to join the Expert Committee on AIDS and she became a consultant to many large industries. In 1992 Dr Fisher moved to Richmond, Virginia to join the Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia School of Medicine where she continued her clinical work and research in AAIDS. In 2014 she retired and returned to the Detroit area, enjoying her cottage near Point Pelee, Canada, where she hosted many friends. In 2015 she moved to Henry Ford Village in Dearborn. Evelyn was an avid reader with numerous bookshelves in her home and she was an armchair expert in many fields. One of her favorite hobbies was birdwatching and she traveled the world in search of species to add to her life list. She was a devoted supporter of The Michigan Opera Theater and attended as many performances as possible. An avid fan of all Detroit sports teams she was always up-to-date with their players statistics A doctor who lived the Hippocratic Oath, Dr Fisher was beloved by her patients and their families. Evelyn was also a wonderful and generous friend. Fun to be with she was often going that extra mile, even in horrific weather, to celebrate special occasions, or to visit a friend experiencing a serious illness. Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Justine, and her halfbrothers and sisters. She is survived by her devoted friend, Kevin Frasier, and others too numerous to mention. Her choice of cremation has taken place. Contributions in her memory may be made to AIDS Partnership in Michigan, Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda (Ruthven, Canada), Amnesty International and The Humane Society.