Loss of HIV professor leaves a “huge gap” at BSMS
Staff in the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) have been paying tribute to Professor Martin Fisher, who died unexpectedly earlier this week.
Professor Fisher had been a Consultant Physician in HIV/Genitourinary Medicine at Brighton and Sussex University Trust since 1995, and was instrumental in setting up the trust’s specialist HIV unit. His research in the field of HIV was internationally renowned.
Appointed BSMS’s first Chair of HIV Medicine in 2013, he rapidly developed HIV-related research based in the medical school and hospitals.
The Dean of the Medical School, Professor Malcolm Reed, said: “The news of Martin’s death is an enormous shock to all of us who knew him as a colleague, teacher and friend. I had only met Martin recently but was hugely impressed by his clinical and academic accomplishments and equally by his humour, compassion and humanity.”
In addition to a wide range of research and clinical work, Professor Fisher was the founding convenor for the national Diploma in HIV Medicine and an executive committee member of the British HIV Association.
He was one of 12 site researchers in the recent PROUD study, which found that daily use of the drug Truvada could reduce the risk of HIV infection by 86%.
Most recently he was lead applicant in a new international project to study the use of technology to improve self-management of HIV, which earlier this year was awarded a multi-million-pound grant from the European Commission to run across five countries.
In addition, Professor Fisher made major contributions towards the development of innovative treatment guidelines for the UK, for instance in the prevention of HIV infection by pre-exposure prophylaxis.
“The impact of Martin’s death will be felt not only in the Medical School, the Trust and at the universities, but also by his patients in Brighton and his many friends and colleagues nationally and internationally,” added Professor Reed.
“Martin leaves a huge gap in the life of BSMS but also a strong legacy and very fond memories.”