David Fischer, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Founding Director, Recovery of Consciousness Via Evidence-Based Medicine and Research (RECOVER) Program, University of Pennsylvania
Department: Neurology
Contact information
Dept of Neurology
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
3 Dulles
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
3 Dulles
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-662-3606
Education:
BS (Psychology, Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Philosophy)
Haverford College, 2010.
MD (Medicine)
Harvard Medical School, 2016.
Permanent linkBS (Psychology, Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Philosophy)
Haverford College, 2010.
MD (Medicine)
Harvard Medical School, 2016.
Description of Clinical Expertise
Neurocritical careNeuroprognostication
Consciousness
Disorders of consciousness
Functional MRI (fMRI)
Advanced neuroimaging
Description of Research Expertise
Neurocritical careNeuroprognostication
Consciousness
Disorders of consciousness
Functional MRI (fMRI)
Advanced neuroimaging
Selected Publications
Halablab, S.M., Shofer, F., Kaviyarasu, A., Mitchell, O.J.L., Reis, W., Brothers, T., Fischer, D., Abella, B.S., Greenwood, J.: Computed tomography assessment after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation. Resuscitation Plus 2026 Notes: In press.Fischer, D.: Improving Neuroprognostication Globally and Locally: The Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery Consortium. Brain Injury Professional; Awakening Hope for Coma Recovery Edition 12(3), 2026.
Copeland, J.M., Boivin, C.C., Rosa, P., O’Brien, C.S., Bahti, M., Fischer, D.*, Auriemma, C.L.* (*co-last authors): The Surrogate Perspective: Quantification of important recovery outcomes after acute disorders of consciousness. Poster presentation at the Annual Assemble of Hospice & Palliative Care; March 4-7, 2026; San Diego, CA. 2026.
Fischer, D., Halablab, S., Kaviyarasu, A., Law, C., Abella, B.S., Greenwood, J., Schneider, A.L.C.: A specialized neuroprognostication program is associated with improved guideline-adherence and outcomes after cardiac arrest. Selected platform presentation at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL 2026.
Van Roy, S., Hsu, L., Ho, J., Scirica, B.M., Fischer, D., Snider, S.B. & Lee, J.W.: Quantitative and radiological assessment of post-cardiac-arrest comatose patients with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Neurocritical Care 42(2): 541-550, Apr 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1007/s12028-024-02087-y.
Fischer, D., Reyes-Esteves, S., Law, C., Ford, A., Schwab, P., Abella, B.S., Schneider, A.L.C. & Kumar, M.A.: Implementation of a specialized neuroprognostication consultation program and associated provider attitudes: A survey-based study Resuscitation Plus 23: 100932, Mar 2025.
Fischer, D., Edlow, B.L., Freeman, H.J., Alaiev, D., Wu, Q., Ware, J.B., Detre, J.A., Aguirre, G.K: Author Response: Reconstructing Covert Consciousness: Neural Decoding as a Novel Consciousness Assessment. Neurology 2025.
Fischer, D., Abella, B.S., Ford, A., Greenwood, J., Halablab, S., Kumar, M.A., Law, C., Levine, J.M., Reyes-Esteves, S., Schwab, P., Schneider, A.L.C.: Implementation of a specialized neuroprognostication program: Impact on provider attitudes and patient care Poster presentation at the American Neurological Association and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Career Development Symposium, Baltimore, MD, 9/2025 2025.
Young, M.J., Koch, C., Claassen, J., Fischer, D., Aubinet, C., Gosseries, O., Kondziella, D., Rosanova, M., Sarasso, S., Casarotto, S., Massimini, M. & Edlow, B.L.: An ethical framework to assess covert consciousness. Lancet Neurology 24: 195-196, 2025.
Fischer, D: Oxygen targets after cardiac arrest: Is there anything we can do? CHEST 168(5): 1076-1078, 2025.