The Regents of the University of Michigan acknowledge with profound sadness the death of David Fleisher, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the College of Pharmacy. Professor Fleisher died at his home on January 7, 2006, after a long fight with lymphoma. He was 61.

Professor Fleisher was born in Rochester, New York, and earned his B.S. degree in pharmacy from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1967. He began his career as a staff pharmacist, first at Children's Hospital in Buffalo and then at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. After earning his M.S. degree in applied mathematics from the University of Rochester in 1977, Professor Fleisher and his family relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, where he earned his Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutics from the University of Wisconsin in 1983. He joined the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy as an assistant research scientist in 1983, was appointed assistant professor of pharmaceutics in 1985, and was promoted to associate professor in 1992.

Professor Fleisher' s research focused on food and nutrient effects on drug delivery, absorption, and metabolism, and his work had a very significant impact on Food and Drug Administration regulatory guidelines. He was a highly respected scientist and educator who touched the lives of all of his students and colleagues in a very special way. Professor Fleisher will be remembered for his genuine interest in people, and for his compassion and generosity. He was known for his extraordinary kindness, his sense of humor, humility, and passion for life, and his remarkable capacity to help and inspire those around him.

As we mourn the loss of our beloved colleague, we also extend our heartfelt condolences to his parents, Gerald and Eunice; his wife, Barbra Stewart; his children, Laurie, Lisa, Lucas, and Cybil; his sisters, Leslie and Elaine; his brother, Dennis; and several grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.