Dr. Alexandra (Lisa) Hult Filipovich, MD

Dr. Alexandra (Lisa) Hult Filipovich, MD

Dr. Alexandra Hult Filipovich, MD, age 69, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Covington, KY early on the 18th of May, 2020. Dr. Filipovich, known to all as Lisa, was an internationally recognized leader in bone marrow transplantation and pediatric immunology. She held the Ralph J. Stolle Chair of Pediatric Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, served as Head of the Division of Immunology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and was president of the Histiocyte Society, an international research organization. Lisa is survived by her husband Marc F. Hult, her sons Alexis (Betsy) and Philip Hult (Liz), three grandsons Enzo, Marco, and Leo, and sister Prof. Natalie Filipovich (Paul). Born in 1951 in Minneapolis, MN to Ukrainian refugees Katherine and George Filipovich, Alexandra spoke only Ukrainian when she began kindergarten. Asked what her name was, she replied Lesia, a familial diminutive. Her teachers decided to call her Lisa – a nickname that stuck with her for the rest of her life. Lisa excelled at Marshall HS in Minneapolis: valedictorian, yearbook editor, cheerleading captain, and homecoming queen. It was there she met Marc with whom she would share 48 years of marriage. After two years at Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts, Lisa was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical School, graduating in 1974 having had her first son, Alexis, the year before. Philip was born in 1977 while Lisa completed her residency in pediatrics. Following fellowships in immunopathology and pediatric immunology, Lisa became a professor of pediatrics at the Medical School, where she would serve for ten years as the head of the Division of Immunology. She joined Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996. In 1998, Lisa and Marc moved into the historic Daniel Carter Beard house in Covington, KY. At CCHMC, Lisa directed the immune deficiency and histiocytosis program and established the diagnostic immunology laboratory. Thanks to her efforts, Cincinnati Children’s gained national and international prominence for the treatment of HLH, a life-threatening childhood immune disease. Her efforts were divided between five major tasks: clinical, research, laboratory, teaching, and service to the institution. Dr. Filipovich published more than 170 scientific articles and lectured around the world. She took great pride in training and mentoring fellows. Her primary love, however, was caring for the young and critically ill patients who called her Dr. Lisa.
Beyond these professional accolades, Lisa was a devoted mother, wife, and friend. She was an avid gardener, a talented pianist, a world traveler, and a lover of literature, speaking Ukrainian, Spanish, and French.

She is greatly missed.

A celebration of life is planned for late summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Alzheimer’s Foundation or to the HLH Center of Excellence at Cincinnati Children’s.