The Tennessee vaccine official who was fired this week had been praised for exceeding expectations and being attentive to her team. That’s according to recent performance reviews of Dr. Michelle Fiscus, which were obtained by the Tennessean on Thursday.
The glowing reviews seem to directly contradict a memo that the health department sent to media outlets earlier in the day.
In that memo addressed to the state’s health commissioner, Dr. Tim Jones wrote that he recommended firing Fiscus over a “lack of effective leadership” and a “failure to maintain good working relationships with her team.” It detailed complaints about Fiscus dating back to December 2020.
But the health department did not provide her positive performance reviews over the past several years in response to WPLN’s request for her personnel file. Her husband tells The Tennessean that they hadn’t seen the negative memo at all before it was made public.
Fiscus claims she was fired for political reasons after sending out guidance to health care providers about vaccinating minors without parental consent. Several Republican lawmakers blasted her memo at a hearing last month.
Hear Fiscus in her own words in her interview with WPLN’s Paige Pfleger here.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated who wrote the health department memo about Fiscus. It was written by Dr. Tim Jones, not Dr. Lisa Piercey.
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