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.
BS (Psychology, Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Philosophy)
Haverford College, 2010.
MD (Medicine)
Harvard Medical School, 2016.
Post-Graduate Training
Intern in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2016-2017.
Resident in Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 2017-2020.
Fellow in Neurocritical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 2020-2022.
Permanent linkIntern in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2016-2017.
Resident in Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 2017-2020.
Fellow in Neurocritical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 2020-2022.
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
COVID-19
Selected Publications
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.Bodien YG, Fecchio M, Freeman HJ, Sanders WR, Meydan A, Lawrence PK, Kirsch J, Fischer D, Cohen J, Rubin E, He J, Schaefer PW, Hochberg LR, Rapalino O, Cash S, Young Y, Edlow BL.: Clinical implementation of functional MRI and EEG to detect cognitive-motor dissociation: Lessons learned in an acute care hospital. Neurology: Clinical Practice Page: e200390, 2025.
Fischer, D., Edlow, B.L., Freeman, H.J., Alaiev, D., Wu, Q., Ware, J.B., Detre, J.A., Aguirre, G.K.: Reconstructing covert consciousness: Neural decoding as a novel consciousness assessment. Neurology 104: e210208, 2025.
Warren, A.E.L., Raguz, M., Friedrich, H., Schaper, F.L.W.V.J., Tesserae, J., Snider, S.B., Li, J., Chua, M.M.J., Butenko, K., Friedrich, M.U., Jha, R., Iglesias, J.E., Carney, P.W., Fischer, D., Fox, M.D., Boes, A.D., Edlow, B.L., Horn, A., Chudy, D.*, Rolston, J.D.* (* equal contributors): A human brain network linked to restoration of consciousness after deep brain stimulation. Nature Communications 2025 Notes: In press.
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, 2025.
Fischer, D., Kumar, M., Levine, J., Mendlik, M., Narva, A.: The miracle dilemma: Demystifying a common challenge in neuroprognostication. Brain 2025 Notes: In press.
Alan Yu: The mystery of consciousness. National Public Radio, The Pulse (https://www.npr.org/2025/03/21/1239865407/mystery-of-consciousness) 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 2025 Notes: In press.
Xu, L.B., Hampton, S., Fischer, D.: Neuroimaging in disorders of consciousness and recovery. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 35(1): 51-64, 2024.