Penn Medicine Provider
Neurology
David Fischer, MD
Penn Neuroscience Center - Neurology
Make an appointmentCall 800-789-7366

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: Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Learn about location

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

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

Bodien YG, Fecchio M, Freeman HJ, Sanders WR, Meydan A, Lawrence PK, Kirsch J, Fischer D, Cohen J, Rubin E, He J, Schaefer PW, Hochberg LR, Rapalino O, Cash S, Young Y, Edlow BL. Clinical implementation of functional MRI and EEG to detect cognitive-motor dissociation: Lessons learned in an acute care hospital , Neurology: Clinical Practice: 2025,e200390

Fischer, D., Edlow, B.L., Freeman, H.J., Alaiev, D., Wu, Q., Ware, J.B., Detre, J.A., Aguirre, G.K. Reconstructing covert consciousness: Neural decoding as a novel consciousness assessment , Neurology, 104: 2025,e210208

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

Alan Yu The mystery of consciousness , National Public Radio, The Pulse (https://www.npr.org/2025/03/21/1239865407/mystery-of-consciousness): 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: 2025

Xu, L.B., Hampton, S., Fischer, D. Neuroimaging in disorders of consciousness and recovery , Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 35(1): 2024,51-64

Fischer, D Author Response: The Recovery of Consciousness Via Evidence-Based Medicine and Research (RECOVER) Program: A paradigm for advancing neuroprognostication , Neurology: Clinical Practice: 2024

Williams, A., Bass, G.D., Hampton, S., Klinedinst, R., Giacino, J.T. & Fischer, D. Delayed withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in disorders of consciousness: Practical and theoretical considerations , Neurocritical Care: 2024