Paul D. Ellner

Sixteen years ago, Paul Ellner became blind due to age-related macular degeneration, but that hasn’t stopped him from living a full life, even at 93 years young. After retiring from a varied and successful career, he turned to writing fiction, and published several novels, available on Amazon. He recently began blogging and enjoys keeping in touch with his readers on social media and other online venues.

Before losing his vision, Ellner led a fascinating life. After completing three years of medical school at the University of Maryland College of Medicine for his Ph.D. , Dr. Ellner resolved to spend his life in medical academia. He held teaching positions at the new medical school at the University of Florida, the medical school of the University of Vermont, at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he spent twenty-six years moving up the ladder to become Professor of Microbiology and Pathology. On four occasions, the medical students voted him“Teacher of the Year" and“Outstanding Lecturer." At the same time, he was the Director of the Clinical Microbiology Service at the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. In 1992, he received the prestigious Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology in the U.S.

Shortly after receiving his doctorate, he accepted a commission as a reserve officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, where he eventually rose to the naval rank of Captain. Dr. Ellner was tasked with establishing Disaster Medical Assistance Teams in New York and New Jersey, and also lectured on biological weapons to U.S. Navy personnel. Several times, he was called for periods of temporary active duty.

When Ellner retired from Columbia, he worked as a legal consultant in infectious disease, testifying as an expert witness in many cases. He is the author of two non-fiction books entitled Understanding Infectious Disease and The Biomedical Scientist As Expert Witness, both available on Amazon.

Sixteen years ago, he became blind due to age-related macular degeneration, but before losing his vision, he had qualified as a commercial instrument-rated pilot and flew search and rescue missions for the Civil Air Patrol.

Late in life and always a writer, he began to use his imagination and turned to writing fiction. You can read excerpts from his novels, as well as find links to purchase them, on his website, ellner.com.