Routine Miracles: Personal Journeys of Patients and Doctors Discovering the Powers of Modern Medicine

“This book covers medical advances that would once have been called miracles but have now become routine. The patients’ stories within this book yield hope, optimism, and triumph. This is the best time ever to come out of medical school and training.  This fact will inspire and uplift everyone in the medical profession as well as all of us who must, at some point, rely on the art of medicine to see us through.” —Conrad Fischer, MD

What has ruined today’s medical students’ interest in devoting their lives to finding cures for the most rampant diseases riddling our population? How can young doctors not be energized and excited by modern breakthroughs? Why are they not inspired by the ability of current AIDS drugs to increase life expectancy by twenty-five years?

In Routine Miracles, award-winning internist and medical educator Conrad Fischer investigates the disconnect between medical advances and the rise of physician dissatisfaction. Fischer surveyed more than 3,000 physicians and interviewed hundreds of patients to uncover the seeds of doctors’ discontent. Based upon his findings, he offers a deeply personal and compelling call to action for all of us, doctor and patient alike, to celebrate the present and the future of medicine.

Dr. Conrad Fischer is an infectious diseases specialist and a prolific teacher of medicine; he has published twelve books for the medical community. He is also an influential medical advocate; he was instrumental in the construction and passage of legislation, which led to the near eradication of pediatric AIDS in the United States. He was formerly the Associate Chief of Medicine for Educational and Academic Activities at SUNY Downstate School of Medicine. He has been Chairman of Medicine for Kaplan Medical since 1999, and has held Residency Program Director positions at both Maimonides Medical Center and Flushing Hospital in New York City. He lives in New York City with his two boys.