Dr. Fischer's research interests include the investigation and prevention of donor-transmitted infections in transplantation as well as the effects of immunosuppressive therapy on the risk of viral infections including CMV and BK virus. She is actively engaged in research in medical education as well - including studies of the effect of restricted work hours on the quality of resident education and patient safety.

Biography

A graduate of LSU Medical School in New Orleans, with residency and fellowship training at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, Dr. Fischer is a national expert on infections complicating solid organ transplantation. She joined the Brown faculty in 2000, and serves as the Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island Hospital. She became Director of Graduate Medical Education for Lifespan in 2008.

Institutions

Rih

Research Description

As the Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island Hospital, Dr. Fischer is engaged in the direct care of patients before and following solid organ transplantation, in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Collaborative research with transplant surgery and transplant nephrology occurs, in recent years investigating pharmacokinetic drug interactions between immunosuppressive therapies and antiretroviral agents, the effect of new immunosuppressive agents on the risk of post-transplant viral infections, as well as the impact of changes in immunosuppressive therapy on the history of BK virus nephropathy, a major cause of allograft loss in the US. In 2006 she described the first two outbreaks of lymphocytic choriomeningitis infection transmitted by organ transplantation, as well as the treatment of the only known survivor of infection in this setting (NEJM 2006;354:2235). She is active in the American Transplant Socity Infectious Diseases Community of Practice, and is the senior author on national guidelines for testing of donors and recipients prior to transplantation to minimize the risk of donot-transmitted infection.

With her activities in the Graduate Medical Education arena, Dr. Fischer is actively involved in research with residents and fellows to address the changing requirements in residency and fellowship training and the impact of those changes on patient safety, resident quality of life, and the quality of education that residents and fellows receive in postgraduate training. This work has resulted in several high level publications and is helpping to make Brown and Rhode Island Hospital leaders in assessing the way residency training is contiually changing (NEJM 2010;363:e34 and NEJM 2012;366:e35).

Awards

Alpha Omega Alpha, 1990

Pharmacology Award, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 1990

Upjohn Achievement Award for Outstanding Performance in Clinical Years of Study, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 1990

Intern of the Year Award, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, 1990-1991

Resident of the Year Award, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, 1991-1992

American Society for Microbiology Travel Grant, 1994

SmithKline Beecham Fellowship to attend the SHEA/CDC/AHA Training Program in Hospital Epidemiology, 1995

J. Wayne Ebrite Health Science Associate Infectious Disease Research Conference, 1996

Employee of the Month, Cardiomyopathy/Transplant Unit, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, June 1996

Named to The Best Doctors in America, 1997-1998

Alice B. Sachs Award, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center (awarded annually to a hospital employee for dedication to compassionate patient care), 1998

Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, July 2001

Named to The Best Doctors in America, 2001-2002

Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, July 2002

Named to America's Top Physicians, 2003

Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, July 2003

Chairman's Award for Outstanding Teaching, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 2004

Named to "Best Doctors" - Rhode Island/Cape Cod edition of Better Living Magazine, 2004

Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, July 2004

Named to "Top Doctors", Rhode Island Monthly, 2004

Dean's Teaching Excellence Award, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 2005-2006, "in recognition of exemplary teaching in Biomed 351 Infectious Diseases/Pathophysiology small group"

Named to "Top Doctors", Rhode Island Monthly, 2006

Dean's Teaching Excellence Award, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 2006-2007, "in recognition of exemplary teaching in Biomed 351 Infectious Diseases/Pathophysiology small group"

Finalist, 2007 Charles C. Shepard Science Award, the Centers for Disease Control and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, "presented to the authors of the most outstanding peer-reviewed research paper published by CDC/ATSDR"

Named to "Best Doctors in America", 2007-2008 and 2009-2010

Triple Your Heart "Kindness Matters Award", 2007, "in recognition of outstanding acts of kindness, generosity and leadership"

Named to "Best Doctors in America", 2011-2012

Master of Arts ad eundem, Brown University, 2011

Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Attending Teaching Award, 2011-2012

Affiliations

American Society of Transplantation
American College of Physicians
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Rhode Island Medical Society
AAMC Group on Resident Affairs

Funded Research

N/A

Teaching Experience

Dr. Fischer teaches residents, fellows, and medical students on daily transplant rounds and as part of the curriculum of many diverse training programs, including infectious diseases, nephrology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, orthopaedics, urology and neurology.

View My Full Publication List in pdf format

Selected Publications

• Drolet BC, Christopher DA, Fischer SA. Residents' Responses to Duty Hour Regulations- A Follow-Up National Survey. N Engl J Med. 2012. 366 e:35.(2012)
• Fischer SA. The changing paradigm in residency and fellowship training: embracing the future. Med Health RI 2011: 94(6) 152-154.(2011)
• Morris MI, Fischer SA, Ison MG. Infections transmitted by transplantation. Infect Dis Clin North Am 2010;24:497-514.(2010)
• . Drolet BC, Spalluto LB, Fischer SA. Residents' perspectives on ACGME regulation of supervision and duty hours – a national survey. N Engl J Med 2010;363:e34.(2010)
• Fischer SA, Avery RK, and the AST Infectious Disease Community of Practice. Screening of donor and recipient prior to solid organ transplantation. Am J Transplant 2009;9:S7-18.(2009)
• Humar A, Morris M, Blumberg E, Freeman R, Preiksaitis J, Kiberd B, Schweitzer E, Ganz S, Caliendo A, Orlowski JP, Wilson B, Kotton C, Michaels M, Kleinman S, Geier S, Murphy B, Green M, Levi M, Knoll G, Segev D, Brubaker S, Hasz R, Lebovitz DJ, Mulligan D, O'Connor K, Pruett T, Mozes M, Lee I, Delmonico F, Fischer S. Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) of Organ Donors: Is the "Best" Test the Right Test? A Consensus Conference Report. Am J Transplant 2009;10(4):889-99.(2009)
• Fischer SA. Emerging viruses in transplantation: There is more to infection after transplant than CMV and EBV. Transplantation 2008;86:1327-39.(2008)
• Gautam A, Fischer SA, Yango A, et al. Suppression of cell-mediated immunity by a donor transmitted Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus in a Kidney Transplant Recipient. Transpl Infect Dis 2007;9:339.(2007)
• Vrochides D, Fischer SA, Soares G, Morrissey PE. Successful treatment of recurrent cholangitis complicating liver transplantation by roux-en-Y limb lengthening. Transpl Infect Dis 2007;9:327(2007)
• Fischer SA, Graham MB, Kuehnert MJ, et al. Transmission of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus By Organ Transplantation. New Engl J Med 2006; 354:2235(2006)
• Gautam A, Morrisey PE, Brem AS, Fischer SA, et al. Use of an Immune Function Assay to Monitor Immunosuppression for Treatment of Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder. Pediatr Transplant 2006;10:613.(2006)
• Fischer, SA. Infections Complicating Solid Organ Transplantation. Surg Clin North Am 2006;86:1127.(2006)
• Gautam, A, Fischer SA, Yango AF. Cell mediated immunity (CMI) and post transplant viral infections – Role of a functional immune assay to titrate immunosuppression. Int Immunopharmacol 2006;6:2023.(2006)
• Simon D, Fischer SA, Grossman A, Downer C, Hota B, Heroux A, Trenholme G. Left Ventricular Assist Device-Related Infection: Treatment and Outcome. Clin Infect Dis 2005;40:1108.(2005)
• Urbina BY, Gohh R, Fischer SA. Oerskovia xanthineolytica Endocarditis in a Renal Transplant Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Transpl Infect Dis 2003;5:195.(2003)
• Fischer SA, Trenholme GM, Constanzo MR, Piccione W. Infectious Complications of Left Ventricular Assist Device Placement. Clin Infect Dis 1997; 24:18.(1997)
• Fischer SA, Trenholme GM, Levin S. Fever in the Solid Organ Transplant Patient. Infect Dis Clin North Am 1996;10:167.(1996)