“When you study a disease, you go where the disease is common.” (J. Belinson, Cleveland Clinic)

The Challenge: Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of death among middle-aged women in rural, resource-limited settings. Traditional screening methods were too expensive, too complex and very much absent for communities that needed them most. Thus, cervical cancer gained a foothold and never left.

The Solution: In the late 1990s, Beijing and the U.S. launched an ambitious collaboration in China's Shanxi Province to develop cervical cancer screening methods that could actually work in the real world. What they discovered changed everything: conclusive statistical evidence that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) was the causal agent behind cervical cancer. It paved the way for the preventative vaccine that now saves hundreds of thousands of lives annually (see graph). And the self-testing protocol adopted has just been approved in the US.

The Human Story: Rigorous science in difficult environments doesn't happen by accident. It requires problem-solving, adaptability, and persistence. Craig Fischer, a key researcher on the study, shares firsthand the obstacles faced and the innovative approaches that made world-class research possible. Where resources were scarce and the stakes couldn't have been higher, dedication and perseverance brought about a major breakthrough.

Craig Fischer has retired from a long career in healthcare. He coordinated the decommissioning of a large surgery center and oversaw the decommissioning of East Tennessee Baptist Hospital while simultaneously acting as Director of Project Research for St. Mary’s Health System. He opened the St. Mary’s North Ambulatory Services Center in Powell in 2004 as its first administrator.

After receiving an MBA from UT, he played an active role in local medical education, clinical and geropsychiatry services, and has developed, opened, and operated innovative outpatient and inpatient healthcare delivery systems in Knoxville, throughout the South, and nationally.

Fischer’s healthcare and management experience includes regulatory, compliance, and quality management, medical device design and development, FDA regulatory clearances, clinical research, team building, and clinical/administrative operations. He co-founded two Nuclear Medicine professional societies on a regional and state-wide basis.

He has worked nationally and internationally doing cancer research and has performed clinical trials in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic in rural China. He is published and co-holds a patent in radiation shielding technology.

He was actively involved in Knox County’s first Urban Growth Planning process as president of Riverbend Peninsula Homeowners Association. Recently, he was a volunteer with the Knox County Sheriff’s Organization visiting at-risk seniors living alone, and maintaining tracking technology for Knox County dementia and autistic clients who have a history of wandering. 

Craig is a new, already very active member of The Technical Society of Knoxville. He helped develop the TSK position and public comments on the Office of Management and Budget’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule OMB–2026–0034.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.