Successful Physician Authors

How to go from taking a 3-day course to becoming a successful author.

As I prepare for the Harvard CME publishing course this year, I am reviewing "success stories" to present to the attendees. What the attendees will want to know is "how to go from taking a 3-day course to becoming a successful author". 

If you are wondering the same thing, consider this piece of advice that makes writing incredibly powerful: Show, Don't Tell.  What this means is that while it's helpful to have an explanation, sometimes the thing that helps the most is giving a specific example. 

In this post, I want to "Show" interested readers some of the success stories.  The best way to do this is to take you to the websites of the successful past course attendees.  There have been so many, that it's hard to choose which ones to highlight.  Nevertheless, here are a few examples of past course attendees who have gone on to do amazing things with their writing:

• Richard Baer, MD (www.SwitchingTime.com)
• Paul Ruggieri, MD, FACS (www.PaulRuggieri.com)
• Jill Grimes, MD (www.JillGrimesMD.com)
• Loron Olson, MD (www.MagneticFire.com)
• Diane Radford, MD (www.DianeRadford.com)

Of course, not everyone who comes to the Harvard publishing course is a medical doctor.  There are many others in healthcare who attend and go on to become successful authors.  Here are a couple of examples:

• Sarah Allen Benton (www.HighFunctioningAlcoholic.com)
• Jeff Brown, PsyD (www.DrJeffBrown.com)

As you look at these websites, you'll be able to decipher a lot of information about who these writers are and what they've been able to accomplish.  The websites don't tell everything, but they offer terrific examples of how to become a successful physician author!

A Harvard Doctor’s Cancer Survivors Startup: Julie Sivler MD

Oncology Rehab Partners is looking to better cancer survivors quality of life.

Dr. Julie Silver is pretty damn busy these days. She's an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and  the Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications, the consumer health branch of Harvard Medical School, and the director of the Harvard CME course  "Publishing Books, Memoirs and Other Creative Nonfiction", Julie has founded and runs a medical startup focused on accrediting hospitals through Oncology Rehab Partners.

She's also an author here on Freelance MD of course. Read all of Julie Silver's posts here.

From the Bloomburg article

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Physician Writing & Publishing

In this short video Dr. Greg Bledsoe discusses how physicians can learn more about writing and pubishing books for the public.  In addition, Dr. Bledsoe introduces Dr. Julie Silver, Chief Editor of Harvard Health Publications, and discusses what Dr. Silver will be teaching at the Medical Fusion Conference.

More Information on Physician Writing and Publishing:

• Harvard Writing Course
• Harvard Writers
• The Value of Cross-Semination
• An Interview with Physician & Author Ken Cohn
• Your Book & Its Niche
• Rookie Mistakes to Avoid If You Want to Publish a Book
• Go the F**K to Sleep: A Bestselling Book
• Do You Listen When You Write?
• Dumbing It Down is Downright Disrespectful
• Writing a Book Proposal is Like Writing a Rx
• Getting Great Publishing Advice

2011 Medical Fusion Conference Faculty and Agenda

At every Medical Fusion Conference we attempt to cover the most pertinent topics for clinical physicians who are attempting to branch out from their clinical careers.  

For 2011, we've once again assembled a stellar faculty comprised of leaders in many diverse niches from around the country, and have included many hot topics that physicians should be exposed to in this ever-changing healthcare environment.

Our 2011 faculty list was recently published here on Freelance MD, but we've added a few more names so I've decided to list our entire 2011 Medical Fusion Conference faculty once again.  Many of these faculty members are authors here on Freelance MD so you can read about their backgrounds and perspectives here. I'm also listing our agenda below so you can get an idea of what's going to be discussed at this year's event.  Remember, the 2011 Medical Fusion Conference is November 11-13, 2011 and space is limited.  If you're interested in attending you can register online or call 866-924-7969 .

Our 2011 Medical Fusion Conference faculty:

• Dr. Barry Silbaugh, President of the American College of Physician Executives
• Ashley Wendel, founder of High Agility Healthcare
• Dr. Setu Mazumdar, founder of Lotus Wealth Solutions
• Dr. Steven Knope, author of Concierge Medicine: A New System to Get the Best Healthcare
• Jeff Barson, founder Surface Medical, MedicalSpaMD.com and FreelanceMD.com
• Dr. Gary Taff, real estate investor
• Dr. Julie Silver, Chief Editor of Harvard Health Publications
• Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, internet entrepreneur
• Dr. Kenneth Cohn, independent consultant and founder of HealthcareCollaboration.com
• Dr. Gautam Gulati, Senior VP of Digitas Health
• Dr. Steven Peskin, Executive VP and CMO of MediMedia
• Dr. Alan Neuren, disability review consultant
• Tannus Quatre, Principal at Vantage Clinical Solutions

Our conference topics this year are wide-ranging and cover many niches within and around clinical medicine.  Our 2011 agenda is the following:

Friday, November 11th

8:00-9:00  Leaving the Tribe, Silbaugh

9:00-10:00  Physician Career Transition, Wendel

10:00-10:30  Break

10:30-11:30  Prescriptions for Financial Success, Mazumdar

11:30-12:30  Living and Working Abroad, Bledsoe

12:30-2:00  Lunch

2:00-3:00  Concierge Medicine, Knope

3:00-4:00  Cosmetic Medicine Profits Blueprint, Barson

4:00-5:00  Real Estate Investing, Taff

5:00-6:00  Should You Get Your MBA?, Cohn

6:00-7:30  Accelerator I

Saturday, November 12th

8:00-9:00  Writing & Publishing I, Silver

9:00-10:00  Writing & Publishing II, Silver

10:00-10:30  Break

10:30-11:30  Internet Entrepreneurship I, Woo-Ming

11:30-12:30  Internet Entrepreneurship II,  Woo-Ming

12:30-2:30  Lunch

2:30-3:30  Product Development, Silver

3:30-4:30  How to be a Rockstar Physician, Barson

4:30-5:30  Independent Consulting, Cohn

5:30-7:00  Accelerator II

Sunday, November 13th

8:00-9:00  Believe Me: The Importance of Building an Unforgettable Brand, Gulati

9:00-10:00  Careers for Physicians in Managed Care and Health Insurance, Peskin

10:00-10:30  Break

10:30-11:30  Introduction to Disability Review, Neuren

11:30-12:30  Online Marketing for Physicians: The Essentials, Quatre

I wanted to make sure I highlighted our two Accelerator sessions at the end of each day.  Our Accelerators are some of our most popular times spent at the Medical Fusion Conference since each faculty and mentor has a table, and participants are allowed to wander from faculty member to faculty member and ask any and all questions of the speakers.  No other event allows you this much face-time with nationally known leaders.  Our participants raved about our Accelerator sessions in 2010 and we know that our 2011 participants will also enjoy this time.  

As you can see from our faculty list and our agenda, Medical Fusion participants will be given exposure to a wide array of interesting topics and significant time with our stellar faculty.  There's no event like the Medical Fusion Conference and there's only one Medical Fusion Conference in 2011: November 11-13, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Register today to ensure your place at the most exciting and invigorating medical conference in the country.

Getting Great Publishing Advice

As the Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications (the consumer health branch of Harvard Medical School), I am constantly seeking out great publishing advice. 

Daily I am talking to literary agents, editors, publicists and authors.  And, while the publishing industry changes almost as fast as my conversations with these folks occur, the good news is that despite the many changes, there are lots of fantastic opportunities for doctors who like to write.

In this blog, I'll share many publishing tips--some new and some tried and true. I'll answer your questions (if I can!) and help guide you with your publishing endeavors.  I will also invite some guest bloggers who are physician authors to share their stories.  Finally, I invite you to share yours. 

The physician-author community is one that I'm proud to support and to be a part of. Helping patients to heal can be done in many ways and writing/publishing is an important part of medicine. 

If you'd like to see more about my work in both publishing and healing, check out my website at www.JulieSilverMD.com.  I'm looking forward to hearing from you, so tell me about what you are doing!

Dr.Dr. Julie Silver, Editor Of Harvard Health Publications Joins Freelance MD

Dr. Julie SIlver joins the physician authors of Freelance MD to educate other physicians about writing and publishing.

Dr. Julie Silver, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, is a noted expert in physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry).  Dr. Silver is the Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications, the consumer health branch of Harvard Medical School, and is on the medical staff at Massachusetts General, Brigham and Womens, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts.  She has been a member of the medical staff at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where she worked in the Lance Armstrong Foundation Survivorship Clinic and is the co-founder of Oncology Rehab Partners, an innovative healthcare company breaking new ground in the field of cancer care.

Dr. Silver wears several hats in the publishing community, serving as Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications, Director of the Harvard CME course titled Publishing Books, Memoirs and Other Creative Nonfiction and an award-winning author of numerous books on health and wellness.

She is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including a number of medical textbooks and the books What Helped Get Me Through; After Cancer Treatment: Heal Faster, Better, Stronger; Chronic Pain and the Family; Understanding Fitness; and Life After Stroke.

"I enjoy teaching doctors and other healthcare professionals how to write and publish," says Dr. Silver. "Teaching others how to publish is extremely gratifying as I work with so many talented healers who have much to offer people."

"We're very excited that Dr. Meyers has joined us," said Greg Bledsoe MD, Freelance MDs co-founder. "Dr. Silver is a fantasit communicator that has helped thousand of physicians realize thier goals in publishing, and personal fulfillment."

About Julie Silver MD
Julie K. Silver, MD is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is the Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications (www.HarvardHealthBooks.org), the consumer health branch of Harvard Medical School.

About Freelance MD
Freelance MD is an active community that gives physicians around the world intelligent information to gain greater control of their medical practice, income, and lifestyle.