The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced the appointment of Darrell R. Fisher, Ph.D., as the patient's rights advocate on the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI). The ACMUI was established in 1958 and advises the NRC on policy and technical issues related to the regulation of the medical use of radioactive material.

Dr. Fisher, a medical physicist with experience in the dosimetry and health effects of radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnosing and treating cancer, is currently a senior scientist with 28 years experience at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. He leads the radioisotopes research program and serves as scientific director of the Department of Energy's isotope production program.

Dr. Fisher previously served as an assistant to the director of the American Association of Cancer Patients. A survivor of childhood cancer, he has also worked with other patient advocate organizations as a counselor to patients who need to evaluate cancer treatment options. Recently, Dr. Fisher served as science advisor to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in Washington, D.C., and previously served "on loan" to the government as science advisor to the Secretary of Energy's human radiation experiments investigative study.
He is an adjunct member of the radiology faculty at the University of Washington, and of the environmental sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and English and humanities faculties at Washington State University.

Dr. Fisher received his Bachelor of Arts with honors in radiation biology from the University of Utah, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in nuclear engineering sciences from the University of Florida, with emphasis in health physics and medical physics.

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