Martin Fisher was professor of HIV medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. He was born in Cyprus, the son of Christopher Aloysius Fisher, a computer engineer, and Rosemary Anne Fisher, a florist. He was educated at Richard Huish College in Taunton and then went on to study medicine at Guy’s Hospital Medical School. He gained a BSc in 1986 and qualified with an MB BS in 1988.
He was on the senior house officer rotation in general medicine at Dulwich and King’s College hospitals. He then trained in genitourinary and HIV medicine at the Westminster Hospital under Brian Gazzard, and then at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington.
In October 1995, aged just 30, he was appointed as a consultant in genitourinary and HIV medicine at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. In Brighton, he set up a specialist HIV unit, building a strong team and moving the inpatient ward from Hove General Hospital to Brighton General Hospital. In 2013, he was appointed as professor of HIV medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
He was honorary secretary of the British HIV Association, and was an active member of the executive committee. He chaired the guidelines subcommittee, authored guidelines on multiple topics and helped ensure that the organisation was accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
He was joint editor of the International Journal of STD & AIDS. He was an examiner for the diploma in genitourinary medicine and helped establish a diploma in HIV medicine.
He chaired the HIV special interest group of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, and was a member of the national clinical reference group for HIV, which advises NHS England on the commissioning of HIV services.
Outside medicine, he enjoyed football and was a season ticket holder at Arsenal. He played the piano and loved cooking and drinking good wine. He enjoyed travelling and sailing.
Martin Fisher was found dead at his Brighton home at the age of just 50. He was survived by his partner, Adrian Brown. A charity, the Martin Fisher Foundation, has been established in his memory. The foundation will focus on the treatment and prevention of HIV.
RCP editor
[BMJ 2015 350 3006 www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h3006.full.print – accessed 16 June 2017; The Argus 23 April 2015 www.theargus.co.uk/news/12906855.Tributes_to_internationally_respected_hospital_consultant_found_dead_at_his_Brighton_home/#comments-anchor – accessed 16 June 2017; The Argus 12 September 2015 www.theargus.co.uk/news/13716319.Foundation_to_be_launched_in_memory_of_renowned_HIV_expert/ – accessed 16 June 2017]