Pamela Mary Fisher (née Atkinson) was born in Harrow, London. She completed her medical education in Bristol, where there were few female medical students at the time. After her studies she completed a traineeship at Kings Lynn and in 1957 moved to Cambridge where she married chemical engineer Don Fisher. She was appointed Head of Accident and Emergency at the old Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. She continued her career in school medicine, childcare clinics and general practice while raising her daughters. She worked as a full-time GP in the village of Comberton, west of Cambridge, for around 10 years until she retired. She pioneered the GP Accident Service in Central England, providing care at the scene of road traffic accidents day and night, increasing the chance of survival.