Go By Boat: Stories of a Maine Island Doctor - Hardcover

by Chuck Radis (Author)

Fresh out of training, Dr. Chuck Radis moves with his wife and daughter to Peaks Island, Maine, to fulfill a Public Health scholarship obligation. Absent-minded and initially oblivious to island mores, Dr. Radis slowly adapts to a medical practice where x-rays and advanced laboratory testing are available only on the mainland. When he travels to the outer islands of Casco Bay for house calls, he relies on his physical examination skills and a tackle box of emergency medications to successfully manage his patients. With stories ranging from hilarious to heart breaking, Go by Boat is a respite from contemporary living, immersing the reader in the distinct culture of Maine island communities. Come along with Dr. Radis as he finds acceptance and friendship on the hardscrabble islands of Casco Bay.

Author Biography

Dr. Radis was drawn to a career in medicine after meeting an osteopathic family practice bush pilot in Baja, Mexico. Following an internal medicine residency, the young doctor moved his family to Peaks Island off the coast of Maine and traveled by boat to the 4 year-round islands in Casco Bay, logging more than 100 house calls each year.

Although Dr. Radis eventually completed a fellowship in rheumatology, for more than three decades he has commuted to the mainland on his boat DASAKAMO. His children, Kate and Molly, attended the Peaks Island grade school--at 40 students, one of the smallest grade schools in Maine---and graduated from Portland High School, where more than 30 languages are spoken by immigrant students from around the world.

Throughout his years as both a primary health care physician and as a specialist, Dr. Radis has published both in peer-reviewed journals and in the popular press. He has written on the narcotic epidemic, the logic of expanding Medicare for all Americans, and medical marijuana. As the medical director for the Maine-African Partnership for Social Justice, he travels regularly to the Kiryandongo UN Settlement in Uganda where he partners with refugee groups in innovative public health programs.

In recognition of his commitment to public health, Dr. Radis has been named both the Louis Hanson Maine Physician of the Year, and Teacher of the Year at the University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine--a rare achievement.