Gayle Crick Fischer and Thomas Fischer Honored with Ara G. Paul Award

Media Contact: Lindsay Groth, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, [email protected]

[Ann Arbor, Michigan] – Gayle Crick Fischer made her first gift to the College of Pharmacy in 1974, the year she earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree. For more than 50 years, she has continued to donate, volunteer, fundraise, advise, and support the College, and her husband of 21 years has been her partner in generosity.

For their enduring contributions of their time, talent, and treasure, Gayle and Tom Fischer have received the Ara G. Paul Philanthropic Distinction Award. The award was presented at the College’s annual Leaders and Legacy celebration honoring Pharmacy’s most generous supporters on November 7, 2025. 

This award, established in 2024, recognizes those who embody the philanthropic spirit of the late Dean Emeritus Ara G. Paul, who served as Dean from 1975 to 1995. It honors recipients for outstanding leadership, volunteerism, philanthropy and contributions to advancing the mission of the College of Pharmacy.

Paul, who was Crick Fischer’s adviser in her sophomore year, named her to his Dean’s Advisory Committee shortly after he became Dean and she served on the committee under several deans.

A steadfast donor herself, Crick Fischer has also been an active fundraiser for the College, serving as a telefund caller and capital campaign volunteer. At the College, Gayle endowed the Gayle C. Crick Scholarship Fund and the William T. and Norma J. Crick Scholarship Fund in honor of her parents. Together, Gayle and Tom established the Dana J. Marra Research Fund to support research on squamous cell esophageal cancer in memory of her sister, who passed away after battling the disease and made a gift to support the new Pharmacy building, set to open in 2026. In 2025, the couple made a $1 million gift to establish the Fischer Faculty Opportunity Fund, which is specifically designated to support the professional development of clinical faculty and lecturers. 

“Gayle always is available to assist with fundraising efforts, and has played a vital leadership role in helping the College with the Look to Michigan Campaign,” says Terra Khanna, Executive Director of Development.

Gayle Crick Fischer grew up in the Detroit suburbs in a family that was far from wealthy but instilled a spirit of giving. For her, it’s natural to help others less fortunate and to try to make the world a better place. “I was very surprised by this award. It is an unexpected honor,” Gayle Fischer said. “We’re grateful to be in a position to be able to support the school. I consider my pharmacy degree as a jumping-off point for the successes I have had in life. “This award is recognition of what we have accomplished, separately and together,” states Tom. 

Crick Fischer began her career in retail pharmacy while still a student, working full-time in community pharmacy for most of her undergraduate years. She went on to blaze new trails in several sales and marketing roles during her 28-year career at Eli Lilly & Company, where she marketed drugs for infectious diseases, osteoporosis, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, among other conditions. After leaving Eli Lilly, she served as Vice President of Marketing for a start-up called Targanta Therapeutics until 2010. She continues to share her expertise in pharmaceutical marketing as a consultant.

Tom Fischer, a healthcare executive who holds bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Indiana University, willingly joined her as a generous philanthropist (and Michigan football fan) after they married in 2004. He spent his entire career in healthcare as a consultant, investment banker, and Chief Financial Officer.

“The Fischers have been such stalwart supporters of the College on every front,” said Dean Vicki Ellingrod. “Knowing it’s no longer possible for students to work their way through school like she did, she has provided scholarships to PharmD students and is always happy to take time to mentor and talk with recipients. She has been a vital force in raising critical support for the school since Ara Paul’s deanship. As leading healthcare executives, she and Tom have provided sterling advice from the forefront of the profession.” 

Crick Fischer remembers Ara Paul as a “very proper, very tough professor” who refused to let her drop organic chemistry when she was struggling in the class. Later, she found that under his tough exterior, he was a “very warm and kind person,” she recalled. “He was a remarkable human being with so much energy. He was everywhere at once.”

The Fischers are proud of the University, the College, and its position at the forefront of pharmacy. “Michigan does things that make a difference, whether it’s groundbreaking research, launching new ventures that bring lifesaving drugs to market, or improving the standard of care,” she said. “Michigan made a difference for me. Pharmacy gave me my start. I’ve had a career and a life some people only dream of. Tom and I like to do things that make a difference, and we’re glad if, in some small way, we have.”

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About the College

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy has been leading at pharmacy’s edge for 150 years. The first and oldest pharmacy school at a state university, the College — currently ranked #2 in the nation — has and continues to shape education in the field. Its faculty are internationally recognized and are innovators in drug discovery, development and delivery, precision pharmacotherapy, outcomes research, and clinical practice. More than 5,000 alumni are enhancing patient care and outcomes from the bench to the bedside, in boardrooms and communities, government agencies, and within healthcare companies.