Solving for Why: A Surgeon's Journey to Discover the Transformative Power of Purpose

From Mercy Ships surgeon Dr. Mark G. Shrime comes an inspiring memoir about finding the answer to life's biggest question--"Why?"--and about following that answer through remarkable, unlikely places on the road to fulfillment, purpose, and joy.

SOLVING FOR WHY chronicles one man's journey to find the answer to the biggest of all life's questions: "Why?" Following a traumatic car accident, Dr. Shrime--the child of Lebanese immigrants fleeing a civil war, who later became a successful practicing surgeon in Boston--found himself compelled to change the course of his life, determined to find meaning and satisfaction even if it meant diverting from America's idea of "success." Featuring stories, insights, and research from his own exceptional life and work, SOLVING FOR WHY is the story of Dr. Shrime's search for--and discovery of--lifelong fulfillment.

Now a global surgeon operating on a hospital ship docked off the coast of West Africa and one of the few global experts on surgery in low- and middle-income countries, Dr. Shrime seeks to impart the wisdom of the lessons he's learned over the course of his search for a life of true contentment. In the tradition of Dr. Paul Farmer's To Repair the World, Dr. Atul Gawande's Better, and Dr. Michele Harper's The Beauty in Breaking, SOLVING FOR WHY combines personal stories with deep, thoughtful research into the challenges of working in modern medicine in the 21st century and the commodification of work in America.

A story of discovery and transformation, SOLVING FOR WHY seeks to help readers answer the "why" of their own lives and ultimately find joy outside the status quo.

Author: Mark Shrime
Publisher: Twelve
Published: 01/25/2022
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.20h x 5.80w x 1.20d
ISBN13: 9781538734162
ISBN10: 1538734168
BISAC Categories:
- Self-Help | Personal Growth | Happiness
- Biography & Autobiography | Medical (Incl. Patients)
- Medical | Surgery | General

About the Author

Professor Mark G. Shrime, MD, MPH, PhD, FACS, is O'Brien Chair of Global Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Lecturer in Global Health and Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. He previously served as the founder and Director of the Center for Global Surgery Evaluation at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and as Research Director for the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard. Dr. Shrime graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1996 with a BA in molecular biology. He received his MD from the University of Texas in 2001, after taking a year to teach organic chemistry in Singapore. To date, he has worked and taught in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Benin, Togo, Congo, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, and Madagascar. His academic pursuits focus on surgical delivery in low- and middle-income countries, where he has a specific interest in the intersection of health, impoverishment, and inequity. His work aims to determine optimal policies and platforms for surgical delivery that maximize health benefits while simultaneously minimizing the risk of financial catastrophe faced by patients. In 2018, he was awarded the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award by the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery. When not working, he is an avid photographer and rock climber and has competed on Seasons 8, 9, and 11 of American Ninja Warrior.