Seeing a variety of patients as an academic general pediatrician, Phil Fischer has developed a broad range of academic interests. Currently, he is pursuing three areas of clinical research.

Bone Disease

During the past decade, data have emerged suggesting that calcium deficiency, even without vitamin D deficiency, can cause nutritional rickets. As part of international collaborative teams, Phil is working in Nigeria, Bangladesh, and China to characterize the pathophysiology of nutritional rickets, to determine the best treatment regimens, and to develop feasible preventive strategies.

In American children and adolescents, fractures are becoming increasingly common. Phil is working with Mayo collaborators to develop better tests for bone strength and to understand the factors that are leading to increased fracture incidences.

Tropical Medicine

Having worked for several years in Central Africa and continuing to care for international travelers, Phil is involved in studies of both congenital and pediatric malaria as well as pediatric travel medicine.

Chronic Fatigue

Autonomic dysfunction is now understood to be associated with much of the chronic fatigue seen in adolescents. Typically manifested in high-achieving teenagers who develop an illness that merges into chronic fatigue, affected individuals often also have headache, abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, and/or altered temperature sensation.

Mayo's Adolescent Autonomic Dysfunction Working Group is a multidisciplinary team working to better characterize autonomic dysfunction in adolescents, to determine immune and genetic bases of autonomic dysfunction, to identify accurate diagnostic measures, and to develop effective treatment regimens. Collaborating with Mayo colleagues outside of pediatrics, with researchers around the country, and with trainees, current members of the

Adolescent Autonomic Dysfunction Working Group include:
Marcie Billings, General Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Savanna Borne, Pediatric Gastroenterology Chad Brands, General Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Sheri Driscoll, Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Phil Fischer, General Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Jennifer Fisher, Child and Adolescent Psychology Rayna Grothe, Pediatric Gastroenterology Nancy Kuntz, Child and Adolescent Neurology Ken Mack, Child and Adolescent Neurology Dawn Nelson, General Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Paul Pianosi, Pediatric Pulmonology Siobhan Pittock, General Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Co-Burn Porter, Pediatric Cardiology.