The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is pleased to announce that after a successful year leading the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center as acting director, Simon Fisher, MD, PhD, will serve as the permanent center director.
Dr. Fisher is a highly successful physician-scientist whose tenure as acting director has helped continue the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center’s vision for a healthier Kentucky through research, clinical care, and education.
“It is a huge honor to work with an outstanding team of dedicated physicians, health care professionals, researchers, and educators who share a similar passion for improving the lives of people with diabetes,” Dr. Fisher said. “At this time, I feel it is important to acknowledge the unwavering support of the Barnstable Brown family and University of Kentucky leadership, who, in partnership, had the vision to create a center that will address the ongoing needs of Kentuckians with diabetes for years to come.”
As director, Dr. Fisher will continue fostering opportunities for research breakthroughs and improved treatments for Kentuckians with diabetes. He will help take the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center to the next level as it works to recruit scientists whose primary appointment will be within the center, putting a concerted effort into finding solutions for diabetes and obesity.
“This kind of focused care and research is needed now more than ever,” Dr. Fisher said. Rates of diabetes in the Commonwealth are higher than that of the general U.S. population – meaning the physical, emotional, and economic burden of the disease disproportionately burdens Kentucky citizens.
In addition to treating patients with diabetes, Dr. Fisher leads a diabetes research program funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He is deeply committed to training the next generation of scientists. His laboratory provides an interactive and interdisciplinary research environment for fostering the scientific development of the postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, MD/PhD students, PhD students, and undergraduate medical students who wish to pursue scientific careers dedicated to diabetes research.
Dr. Fisher serves as co-lead of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Priority Area. He is also a co-principal investigator for the UK Alliance for Diabetes and Obesity Research (ADORE), a multidisciplinary team within the UK College of Medicine’s Alliance Research Initiative.
Dr. Fisher joined the UK College of Medicine in 2021 as professor and division chief of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism.
He earned his MD and PhD from the University of Toronto in Canada, where he also earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physiology. He completed an internship, residency, and fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Fisher is board-certified in internal medicine (specifically, endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism).