Creative Nonfiction
The Unbroken Circle: Weddings and Symbolism
Substack - April 6, 2026
The symbols we worked so hard to share on our special day did not last as long as we had hoped, but it did not matter.
Pulse: Voices From the Heart of Medicine June 4, 2025 - Online content
An experience that scared me more than it scared my caregivers.
JAMA December, 2024 -332(23): 1997-1998
A reflection on aging, insight, and honesty, experienced both as a caregiver and as a patient.
The Patient's Clothes Might be as Important as My White Coat
Doximity September 19, 2022 - Online content
A cancer patient shows up for an appointment wearing a shirt she earned by smoking cigarettes.
Does a Surgeon's Age Make a Difference?
Doximity August 8, 2022 - Online content
Should patients choose a rookie or a seasoned surgeon?
What Will Your Colleagues Say About You when You Retire?
Doximity July 14, 2022 - Online content
I watched many colleagues retire. Sometimes it goes better than others. Why is that?
Why I Try to Know My Patient's World, In Addition to Their Body
Doximity March 8, 2022 - Online content
Two long-term patients died, leaving me feeling hollow because I knew so little about their lives.
Aligning Your Personal Statement with Your Personal Narrative
Doximity December 21, 2021 - Online content
How I almost failed to discern my dream specialty and how I now help students find theirs.
Ending Your Career with Grace Means Letting Go of the Knife
Doximity September 30, 2021 - Online content
Contemplating the end of a surgical career.
Whatever Happened to Local Otolaryngology Societies?
JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery February 2019 - Vol 145, Number 2 107-08
Mourning the loss of an institution that fostered collegiality and confidence for young physicians.
JAMA May 16, 2017 - Vol 317, Number 19 1953-54
A story about a patient who struggles against the insurance company and prevails.
Pulse: Voices From the Heart of Medicine June 2, 2017 - Online content
A story about a mysterious encounter that brought comfort to a grieving sister. The story also appears in the book.
Medical School Commencement vs. Graduation
Creative Wisconsin 2014
This essay about the the process of becoming a physician won the 2014 Jade Ring Contest for Nonfiction for the Wisconsin Writers Association.
JAMA, April 9, 2009 - Vol 301, No. 14 1415-16
A story about a night when death, memory, and gratitude converged in one place.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, April 1, 2008 - Vol 26, No. 10 1760-61
A story about a moment when a rapidly growing cancer left me speechless.
JAMA, February 27, 2008 - Vol 299, No. 8 879-80
A patient encounter that was all about faith, ambiguity, and equanimity.
JAMA October 10, 2007 - Vol 298, No. 14 1613-14
A patient taught me a lesson about gratitude.
Fiction
Three Bends and Two Loops
Creative Wisconsin Magazine, Spring 2025 - pp. 38-40
A high school sophomore struggles to complete an assignment that could save the planet. This might--or might not--contain some elements of my own life. (pdf version here)
Old Scrubs
Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine Spring 2024 - Online Only
An older surgeon thinks about his career as it is drawing to a close. View it on the Intima website here.
Last Case
The Examined Life Journal Volume 11 - 2024
A surgeon makes his way uneasily into retirement.
Red Maple
Creative Wisconsin Anthology: 2021 Jade Ring and Student Writing Contest Winners (Wisconsin Writers Association)
This short story was awarded an Honorable Mention for fiction in the 2021 Jade Ring Contest of the Wisconsin Writers Association
Spinning
Creative Wisconsin Anthology 2018
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This short story was written to be part of a novel someday. It was awarded an Honorable Mention for fiction in the 2018 Jade Ring Contest of the Wisconsin Writers Association
Morning
The Examined Life Journal Vol 3 No 1 Fall 2013
A mother hears terrible news. This short story was written to be part of a novel.
A Chance to Cut
Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics 2013 3(2):E5-E6 Published online.
This short story (writen in response to a prompt about times of moral distress in medicine) contains elements of my mentors' voices heard throughout my career. To view the original, visit here.
Why I am Happy Surgery is Not a Spectator Sport
The Examined Life Journal Vol 1 No 3 Spring 2012
Two sports announcers provide play-by-play and color commentary in the operating room. Green Bay Packers fans might recognize a nod to the radio team of Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren. This story appears in the book.
Poetry
Auscult: The Literary and Arts Journal of the Medical College of Wisconsin 2021.
Finding similarities between two different professions.
Creative Wisconsin October 2016
Written as we were contemplating an extensive remodel of the family cabin in Conover, WI.
Behind the Scenes - A 55-Word Essay
Academic Psychiatry Sept Oct 2009
The journal editor put out a call for 55-word essays. This story arose from a hallway conversation.
Book Reviews
Scrubbing In: A Surgeon's Journey from Self-Doubt to Wholeness by Mel Thacker, MD
Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine - October 6, 2026
Exquisite Moments of Sorrow and Grace: A memoir by Kenneth Weinberg, MD
Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine - July 16, 2025
Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine - February 23, 2025