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Bruce H. Campbell, MD FACS
Retired Head & Neck Surgeon | Author | Essayist

Bruce Campbell, MD FACS
A Fullness of Uncertain Significance
A Fullness of Uncertain Significance - Norbert Blei August Derleth Award

Most recent essay

The words “clarity” and “grace” take on heightened significance in this honest yet lyrical set of essays by Bruce Campbell. The immediacy and intensity of these stories immediately swept me into the consulting room and OR. I felt as if I were a privileged witness to an almost sacred encounter between surgeon and patient. Subtle language lays bare a primal

relationship. It is impossible to read this book and not be changed by the experience.



—Carol Scott-Conner, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Surgery at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and author of A Few Small Moments: Short Stories



From Dr. Campbell:

Dr. Scott-Conner is a powerhouse! I first met her at the University of Iowa at a conference on the intersection of narrative and medicine where I was surprised and encouraged to meet her as well as other accomplished surgeon-writers including Dr. Bud Shaw and the late Dr. Kimberly Ephgrave. In addition to having been chair of the University of Iowa's Department of Surgery, Dr. Scott-Conner is an accomplished writer of narrative works, research papers, and surgical textbooks. She is also the fiction editor of the Examined Life Journal. During her teaching sessions on writing, I sense that she brings her natural curiosity as well as her ability to focus on the technical aspects of her craft to bear on her writing. Is there anything she doesn't do well?



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To pre-order A Fullness of Uncertain Significance, visit: https://www.ten16press.com/shop


 
 
 

Dr. Bruce Campbell sets a new milestone for doctor-writers. As an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon, he treats patients with the most advanced and aggressive cancers imaginable. Internists like me wonder how head and neck surgeons like him do it; this book gives me the answer. Dr. Campbell brings luminous sight to his work. His writerly gifts let him capture the delicate and the solemn, the tragic and the everyday dimensions of illness. Not a set of doctorly instructions (though instruct it does), A Fullness of Uncertain Significance: Stories of Surgery, Clarity, & Grace lays open the profound mysteries and truths and awe about this life of ours. These stories will change lives.


-Rita Charon, MD, PhD; Bernard Schoenberg Professor of Social Medicine and Professor of Medicine; Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics; Executive Director of Columbia Narrative Medicine, Columbia University, New York City; Editor of Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine



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From Dr. Campbell:

Dr. Charon is the doyenne of Narrative Medicine, so having her look at my book was humbling. I met her at a conference at the University of Iowa several years ago and then again while completing a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Narrative Medicine that she directs at Columbia University. Her work is at an entirely different level; her writing draws on her rich background in literature and the humanities. She is thoughtful, inquisitve, accomplished, and deeply insightful.


Dr. Charon's work has been truly groundbreaking and will, hopefully, change the education of future physicians and healthcare professionals into a more narrative-based and culturally-humble endeavor. Having her endorse my book is an honor.




To pre-order A Fullness of Uncertain Significance, visit: https://www.ten16press.com/shop

 
 
 

A Fullness of Uncertain Significance: Stories of Surgery, Clarity, & Grace will be launched shortly, and I invite you to be part of the "launch team."


Thank you, everyone! Many people have been generous with their time, talents, comments, and feedback as my book has gone from concept to reality. I am grateful for the heartwarming support I have received along the way. You are the best!


Launch day - September 28, 2021 - is approaching! If you wish to help promote the book on social media, on the internet, and among friends and family, here are a few suggestions:


  • Support the book on social media: Post reactions on your social media feeds. You can also “Follow,” “Like," and keep in touch with my wonderful publisher, Ten16 Press, and me on whatever platforms you participate. Here are links:

Author’s sites:

Twitter: @headmirror https://twitter.com/headmirror


Publisher’s sites:



  • Request the book be stocked at your local library or bookstore: Offer them the “sell sheet” (attached) and ask them to request the book by ISBN number:

Paperback: 9781645382638

Hardcover: 9781645382799




  • Support the book on Goodreads: Find A Fullness of Uncertain Significance: Stories of Surgery, Clarity, & Grace on Goodreads and add it to your “To Read” shelf. Consider posting a review.


Good news! The pre-order price is lower than the list price will be.


  • On 9/28/2021, think of us and, hopefully, join us at the launch party:

Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Time: 7-9pm

City Lights Brewing Company: 2200 W Mt. Vernon Ave - Milwaukee, WI 532233

Parking: Plenty of parking in their large parking lot

Food and beverages? Of course

Information and RSVP at https://fb.me/e/1vKg3V4HR


  • After September 28:

    • Spread the word!

    • Buy the book for a friend or family member

    • Review the book on other sites (BookBub, Target, etc.)

    • Write a blog post about the book

    • Contact your ex-boyfriends who work at the New York Review of Books and NPR

    • Share links to essays, posts, interviews, articles, etc. from my website

    • Donate your copy to a little free library or your local hospital or nonprofit

    • Invite me to your book club, zoom chat, or small group gathering

    • Join me for a beer or a cup of coffee


THANK YOU SO MUCH! The entire team is very grateful and humbled by your support. Please contact us with any questions.



You can share the “Sell Sheet” with bookstores and libraries and ask them to consider purchasing and/or stocking the book.



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