David L Coulter M D

Disability, Doctoring and Patient Care David L Coulter M D

All experiences are potential themes for a poet. For David L. Coulter, MD, his work provides constant inspiration.



A pediatric neurologist, Coulter works with children who have a range of disabilities, including autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. His poems reflect the bravery with which his patients face their fears and the dignity with which they cope with their conditions.



Disability, Doctoring, and Patient Care is as much about the doctor as it is the patients. Throughout his life, Coulter has used poetry to reflect on his choices and his career.



Coulter's poetry deals with the challenges of becoming a doctor and the hard truth all physicians must face: inevitably some patients die. He also delves into deeply personal and spiritual topics, from his own disability (a congenital hearing loss) to the new journeys awaiting him at the end of his career. As he notes in "Walking to Zion," the final poem in this inspiring collection, "Faith is all I have and must prevail."



Coulter's life has been profoundly touched by the more than ten thousand children with disabilities he has treated. These poems reflect his gratitude for all that they have shared with him.