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
Selected Publications
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.
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 doi: 10.1101/2024.10.17.24314458.
Fischer, D., Kumar, M., Levine, J., Mendlik, M., Narva, A.: The miracle dilemma: Demystifying a common challenge in neuroprognostication. Brain 148: 3437–3440, 2025.
Fischer, D.: Flickers of awareness: Cerebellar stimulation in disorders of consciousness. Neurotherapeutics 22: e00636, 2025.
Alan Yu: The mystery of consciousness. National Public Radio, The Pulse (https://www.npr.org/2025/03/21/1239865407/mystery-of-consciousness) 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 2025 Notes: In press.