Still A Doctor

The practice of medicine is a complex blend of art and science. Still A Doctor is a novel that chronicles the career of Dr. Luke James, beginning with the most grueling year of any physician's training- the internship. Armed with knowledge and confidence, Luke then embarks on a long and sinuous professional career as a physician.



Over the years as he gains experience, Luke finds his path studded with challenges and road blocks that seem at times to be insurmountable. He carries an ever-growing emotional burden of caring for patients year after year, always searching for how to be the best doctor he can.



The reader will gain insight into the practice of medicine through the thoughts, feelings and observations of Dr. James as he confronts death and dying, ethical dilemmas, medical malpractice, and the importance of empathy.



About the Author



Prior to enrolling in medical school, Bernard Mansheim received a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. After he completed medical school and post-graduate training, he began his career with academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and the University of Florida College of Medicine as an Infectious Disease specialist. Then he left academic medicine for private practice. After thirteen years in clinical medicine he continued his career in the field of medical management. He spent the last decade of his career as Chief Medical Officer for a national health insurance company.

Throughout his professional career he has published academic papers and lectured extensively on various topics, including infectious diseases, medical ethics, and managed health care. He has served many times as an expert witness in medical malpractice cases. He received awards from the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Hospital Association for a monthly newspaper column he wrote for several years.

After retiring from his medical career he became a health care consultant, has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, and continues to volunteer as a physician at a free clinic one day a week. Most recently he has pursued his lifelong interest in fiction writing, culminating in this novel, Still A Doctor, about the life of a physician.

So what does Bernard Mansheim do in his free time? His outside interests have included marathon running, golf and other active sports, traveling with his wife, visiting their three grown children, reading, and studying Italian. He recently co-authored with an Italian friend a book entitled Todi Walking Tours: Self-guided Tours of an Ancient Italian Hill Town.

The author lives with his wife and their Havanese puppy Layla, in Charleston, South Carolina and Santa Fe, New Mexico.