David Fischer, MD
Neurology
Penn Neuroscience Center - Neurology
Headshot of David Fischer, MD
Penn Medicine Provider

About me

  • Founding Director, Recovery of Consciousness Via Evidence-Based Medicine and Research (RECOVER) Program
  • Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Education and training

  • Medical School: Harvard Medical School
  • Residency: Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center - Chestnut Hill
  • Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Penn Medicine hospital privileges

  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Pennsylvania Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Medicine Rittenhouse Long-Term Acute Care Hospital
  • Lancaster General Hospital
  • Chester County Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Princeton Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
Dr. Fischer is a Penn Medicine physician.

Qualifications and experience

Treatments and Conditions

My research

Halablab, S.M., Shofer, F., Kaviyarasu, A., Mitchell, O.J.L., Reis, W., Brothers, T., Fischer, D., Abella, B.S., Greenwood, J. Computed tomography assessment after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation , Resuscitation Plus: 2026


Copeland, J.M., Boivin, C.C., Rosa, P., O’Brien, C.S., Bahti, M., Fischer, D.*, Auriemma, C.L.* (*co-last authors) The Surrogate Perspective: Quantification of important recovery outcomes after acute disorders of consciousness. , Poster presentation at the Annual Assemble of Hospice & Palliative Care; March 4-7, 2026; San Diego, CA.: 2026


Fischer, D., Halablab, S., Kaviyarasu, A., Law, C., Abella, B.S., Greenwood, J., Schneider, A.L.C. A specialized neuroprognostication program is associated with improved guideline-adherence and outcomes after cardiac arrest , Selected platform presentation at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL: 2026


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): 2025,541-550


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: 2025,100932


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


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: 2025,195-196


Fischer, D Oxygen targets after cardiac arrest: Is there anything we can do? , CHEST, 168(5): 2025,1076-1078