The Making, Breaking and Renewal of a Surgeon-Scientist: A Personal Perspective of the Physician Crisis in America

By: Steven E. Wilson, M.D.
Publisher: H-G Books
Publication Date: January 2019
ISBN: 978-1732915145
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: February 19, 2019

We hear all about the “best of the best,” the ones behind-the-scenes who work themselves silly to make sure the rest of us are okay. We see ads about them on TV; the ones who run into emergency situations every day. If we don’t know them personally—if we never need a first responder or doctor/surgeon for an emergency—then we are not only lucky, but we also will never know their dedication, the work they did to get where they are, and the endurance and determination they have within them to make things better for those in need.

In this autobiography written by one of those very determined people, readers are provided with a narrative that brings to light his own struggles that he had to go through in order to become the physician that he’d always dreamed of being. As a young man he had a plan, and even though hard work and hard roads stretched out before him, he achieved his goal and became one who could claim the mantle of being an “incredible” eye physician/scientist of his generation.

The hard road experienced as a kid, however, was not the last one he’d have to traverse. This narrative takes the reader on a journey that goes into “The Big Easy,” the Cleveland Clinic, Seattle, and more, even offering a door into Dr. Wilson’s job as chair of ophthalmology at the University of Washington. The latter was the scene of three physicians who were held out to dry during what the author calls the “whistleblower-initiated federal Medicare/Medicaid fraud investigation” that went on there.

Hard roads do not only describe health and wellness emergencies; in fact, the good doctor brings to light some of the fiercest issues that were born when bureaucrats, people with the title of “Administrator,” and federal prosecutors took the low road and tossed a veil of evil over the decent world of medicine. The American medical system gets hits each and every day. Journalists, newspaper accounts, blogs – all tell stories that address the healthcare concerns in this nation, the plight of the medical men and women who are just trying to do their jobs, etc. And although TV commercials honoring those heroes are fine, backing that up with respect for their careers and the work they have done is also necessary.

This book does well because it offers a view and perspective that allows you, the reader, to form your own views and make sure that the medical world does not go the way of the dinosaur, as politicians and others continue to taint it in various ways. Although this book is a “must read” for the wonderful people out there who wish to take on medicine as a career, it’s also one for people who wish to see a fulfilling career first-hand, and witness how good intentions can at times be twisted to receive negative consequences.

This author has written award-winning fiction (i.e., The Stone Waverly Trilogy), and this particular release allows his fans and other readers to see inside the mind of a truly intelligent man who wishes to create a good road for others to travel.

Quill says: This personal journey offers up humor, success, drama, trauma, and a learning experience that all should have.

For more information on The Making, Breaking and Renewal of a Surgeon-Scientist, please visit the publisher's website at: h-g-books.com

Author Interview