Biography
Thomas J. Fischer, M.D., is a native Hoosier (graduated from Butler University), earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine and completed his Orthopaedic training at the University of Washington in Seattle. After his hand fellowship at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center, he did an additional six months of microvascular surgery training at Duke University, and six months of hand education at multiple centers in Switzerland and Germany before joining us in practice.
Dr. Fischer is an avid educator, with a primary focus on skeletal fixation. Residents from the Indiana University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery rotated with Dr. Fischer for their hand surgery exposure for 25 years. Now he has a full time fellow and Drs. Crosby, Smetana and Hoyer share the resident teaching experience. In addition, he is an active and highly visible part of our fellowship training program. He has been Chairman of various hand and wrist AO advanced courses both in North American and Europe.
In addition to publications in scientific journals and presentations before physicians, Dr. Fischer has been recognized for his written and spoken contributions to industry, insurance companies, and community and safety organizations alike.
Currently, Dr. Fischer is the Department Chairman of Hand Surgery at St. Vincent Hospital and Health Services. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees since 2004 at Butler University. He has chaired the Academic Standard Committee for the University. Dr. Fischer serves on numerous committees such as: North American Hand Education Committee starting in February of 2008; American Orthopaedic faculty member starting in April of 1990; and Hand Expert Group starting in January of 2005. He is a member of AOA, TCOA and The Hand Forum. He has served as the Butler Team Physician for upper extremity conditions since 1987.
Dr. Fischer and his wife Maribeth have four children who are their pride and joy. He loves spending time with them watching Butler sports, camping, hiking, fishing, and his most favorite, bike riding. Along with those activities, Dr. Fischer is an avid photographer and part-time astronomer.
Retirement letter to my patients
More About Dr. Fischer
When did you know you were going to be a healthcare provider? (or why did you select a career in healthcare?)
When I was young, healthcare chose me. My pediatrician, Dr Gordon C Mclaughlin took care of me as I was a childhood asthmatic. He wanted me to be a pediatrician. I worked for my dad in his automotive garage and loved to fix things. I became an Orthopaedic surgeon as a pediatrician I could not do surgery.
What inspires you about your work?
The Doctor-Patient relationship has survived since the time of Hamurabi. For 3500 years doctors have treated patients. It has survived the Black Death, the Dark Ages, the Crusades, World Wars, Mini Ice Age, and through it all Doctors and Patients have a unique symbiotic experience. This relationship will survive just as it has for the millennia.
How would you describe your approach to patient care?
Patient focused, “primum non nocere”, first do not harm. Finding the solution that fits the problem and fits the patient
Education
Hand Fellowship
Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center
Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship
Duke University Medical Center
Ortho Residency
University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals
Medical School
Indiana University School of Medicine
Undergrad
Butler University