Renae Fisher, MD

Renae R. Fisher, MD, is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with subspecialty board certification and fellowship training in spinal cord injury medicine. Her clinical practice focuses primarily on inpatient rehabilitation consultations for patients who develop disability following complex hospitalizations, neurologic conditions, traumatic injuries and other life-changing diagnoses. As a rehabilitation physician, she helps patients and their families understand the impact of new functional limitations, identifies opportunities for recovery, coordinates interdisciplinary rehabilitation care, and develops individualized plans to support a successful transition from the hospital back to home and community life.

A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Dr. Fisher earned her bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton before receiving her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed her physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she served as Chief Resident, followed by fellowship training in spinal cord injury medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Prior to joining University Hospitals, Dr. Fisher served as an attending physician at Sheltering Arms Institute, a nationally recognized rehabilitation hospital in Richmond, Virginia, and later in the Department of Spinal Cord Injury at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. She also held academic appointments at Virginia Commonwealth University and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Fisher is passionate about medical education and has extensive experience teaching medical students, residents and fellows. In 2024, she received the I CARE Award for Advocacy from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in recognition of her dedication to veteran-centered care and patient advocacy.

Dr. Fisher's academic interests focus on improving care for individuals with spinal cord injury across the continuum of care, from the acute hospital setting through inpatient rehabilitation and long-term community living. She is particularly interested in quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient outcomes, reduce barriers to recovery, and facilitate successful transitions from the hospital back to home and community life after life-changing injury or illness. Her research interests include applying artificial intelligence and large-scale clinical data to better understand rehabilitation outcomes, developing and enhancing care pathways, and improving recovery for individuals with neurologic disabilities.

At University Hospitals, Dr. Fisher provides inpatient rehabilitation consultations for patients recovering from complex medical, surgical, neurologic and traumatic conditions, helping determine rehabilitation needs and guide functional recovery throughout hospitalization. She works closely with multidisciplinary teams to provide coordinated, patient-centered care and believes that rehabilitation extends beyond the hospital, focusing on helping patients return to the activities, relationships and roles that are most meaningful to them.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Fisher enjoys fruit and vegetable gardening, yoga, hiking and exploring parks and trails throughout Northeast Ohio with her dog, Archie. She values opportunities to stay active, spend time outdoors and connect with nature.