How These 6 Otolaryngologists Became Published Authors

by Jennifer Fink •

Those words became the first line of Dr. Wei’s first book, A Healthier Wei: Reclaiming Health for Misdiagnosed & Overmedicated Children. The book, which she self-published in 2012, draws on Dr. Wei’s medical education, clinical experience, and cultural heritage; her sister, Nancy Wei, a registered dietician, also helped with the book.

“The reason why I decided to write a book for the public, to be honest, was because any time I’d write a paper related to diet or lifestyle, it was rejected,” Dr. Wei said. “It was really important to me that I give parents an option.”

Dr. Wei invested thousands of dollars—and likely thousands of hours—writing, designing, and publishing the book. She also built a consumer-facing website, www.drjuliewei.com, which she revamped in 2018 to include online courses for parents. “There is significant joy in being able to create content for the public,” she said.

Dr. Wei is currently looking for an agent for her next book, which will be about physician well-being. “I’m going to make you think,” Dr. Wei said, “and push the status quo.”

Read more: www.drjuliewei.com

Tali Lando, MD

Author, Hell & Back: Wife & Mother, Doctor & Patient, Dragon Slayer

Pediatric otolaryngologist, Westchester Medical Center Health Network

Dr. Lando always wanted to write a book, but she never dreamed it would be about breast cancer. Life provided the plot.

It was 2013, and Dr. Lando had only recently returned to work after the premature birth and subsequent neonatal ICU stay of her third child. On the eve of her father’s scheduled brain tumor surgery, Dr. Lando felt a lump in her breast. The diagnosis: breast cancer, stage IIIA. Suddenly, the pediatric otolaryngologist was an oncology patient.

To cope, she turned to the written word. “All of these weird, darkly humorous things would happen, so I started to write down vignettes of experiences,” Dr. Lando said. “I figured if I didn’t know what happens after radiation and lymph node dissection in terms of your ability to shave your armpit—you can’t get in there ‘cause it’s like a deep cave – then other people probably don’t know that either.”

Writing became a lifeline for her. “Once I wasn’t working as a physician anymore, taking care of patients, I didn’t feel like I had a purpose, Dr. Lando said. “Writing gave me a sense that I was doing something.”