UT Public Health Expert Receives WITI Hall of Fame Award

Susan P. Fisher-Hoch, M.D.

Susan P. Fisher-Hoch, M.D., professor of epidemiology at The University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus and one of the world’s leading virologists, was recognized Oct. 13, as one of the Women In Technology International’s (WITI) 2008 Hall of Fame winners.

The award, established in 1996, honors and promotes the outstanding scientific and technological contributions made by women.

“This year’s recipients of WITI’s 13th class of inductees include women who met rigorous standards of excellence in their contributions to science and technology, their ability in helping shape the next generation of scientists and technologists and for making the world a better place through science and technology,” said Julie Lubbering, founding member and spokesperson for the WITI Hall of Fame.

Fisher-Hoch, a humanitarian who has made it her lifelong quest to eradicate disease, was instrumental in the identification of hot water systems as the source of Legionnaires’ disease. While working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she led efforts to contain diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever. She joined the UT School of Public Health’s faculty in 2001 to study diseases that impact minority communities and also mentor young scientists. Her most recent research has explored the link between Type II diabetes and tuberculosis.

“This is a very prestigious recognition of the pioneering role that Dr. Fisher-Hoch has played in research on Ebola, Lassa and other viral hemorrhagic fevers, some of the most dangerous viruses in the world,” said Joseph B. McCormick, M.D., regional dean and James H. Steele Professor at the UT School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus and faculty member of the UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). “She has worked in the laboratory, in the clinic and in villages in some of the most remote parts of the planet where these viruses attack their prey, who are often among the world’s poorest people. She is a role model for young scientists, particularly women, who aspire to an exciting life in science.”

McCormick and Fisher- Hoch, also a GSBS faculty member, worked together at the CDC. They married in 1992 and conducted research in Pakistan and France before moving to Brownsville to continue their public health work.

For information about WITI and the award, visit www.witi.com/center/witimuseum/halloffame/.

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