Pictured above left to right: Dr. Miki Sherf Director of Soroka University Medical Center, BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi, David Fisher and Lucy Fisher (children of Naomi Fisher), Director of the Genetic Counseling Unit Prof. Ohad Birk.
The Naomi Bartnoff Fisher Genetic Counseling Unit was dedicated at Soroka University Medical Center at the beginning of the week. The extended Fisher Bartnoff family was on hand to dedicate the new counseling unit. Ground-breaking researcher from the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev and Director of the Unit Prof. Ohad Birk welcomed the family and outlined the importance of the facility at the event.
University President Rivka Carmi noted that this is a topic dear to her heart as one of the founders of the original genetics unit and researcher in the field of genetics. “Being so close to the matter I can appreciate Naomi's huge contribution to the field of genetic counseling, which is critical to delivering genetic understanding and knowledge so that people can make the best decisions on very serious and sometime life changing issues,” she said.
Naomi Ruth Kislak was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, and lived most of her life in New Jersey. She graduated High School at Dwight School for Girls in Englewood, New Jersey and Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1945. Shortly after graduating College she met Arthur B. Fisher who had just returned from World War II with the US Army in Europe. Naomi and Arthur were married until Arthur died, in 1970. They had three children together.
After Arthur died, Naomi was looking for a new career. After reading and becoming fascinated by a New York Times article about Genetic Counseling, she decided that this is what she wanted to do. Within a few years she received an MSc from one of the nation's first Genetic Counseling Programs at Sarah Lawrence. Naomi worked for over 25 years as a Genetic Counselor at two New Jersey Hospitals: Memorial in Morristown and UMDNJ in Newark.
ln 1974 Naomi met and soon married Shepard Bartnoff, PhD.. Between the Fishers and Bartnoffs, Naomi had 14 grandchildren and stepgrandchildren. Before she died, Naomi became very interested in the work of Ben-Gurion University and Soroka University Medical Center, especially in the area of genetics. She was enthusiastic giving a gift to BGU to support Genetic Counseling.
