The United States has an active pharmaceutical industry that has brought huge benefits to the U.S. public. Most Americans, who benefit from these advances, have little understanding of how difficult it is to create an important new medical therapy and make it available to improve public health.

This idea that clumsy, stumbling people are real bright is ridiculous, because intelligence is related to neurologic function, and really intelligent people are very well-coordinated.

The artificial heart is very effective as a bridge to transplant, but the number of people that can be saved with human hearts is limited. A perfect artificial heart could save many more patients.

I do not practice clinical medicine and hence do not treat individual patients. My career is in medical science.

I really connect with those moments of doing missionary work down there and just seeing the people that are dying from disease and hunger and malnutrition.

I love Richard Pryor. I love him to death.

I haven't written adult fiction, but I do not sugarcoat grief - or what I expect grief to be.

Save yourself some grief. Check with the publicist you hire to see what other books he/she has coming out at the same time as yours.