P.K. Edgewater, Doctor and Author-Episode #415

P. K. Edgewater, a military veteran and doctor of 40 years, is the debut author of the novel Passages: A Voyage From War To Peace, which offers a timely and deeply human perspective on recovery after conflict. The book focuses not just on war itself, but on mental health challenges that follow, like trauma, grief, moral injury, and the difficult work of healing. I’ve read Passages and can tell you it’s a wonderfully well-written exploration of how lives intertwine in unexpected ways, changing our perspectives on life and how we live it, even through deep trauma. P.K.’s vividly drawn tale seems as much like a memoir as it does a fictional story.

P.K. retired in 2020 after a four-decade medical career that included working as an internist and rheumatologist, founding and managing an arthritis and rheumatology research center, and consulting on clinical trials in China and Russia.

He was named a Top Doctor by Phoenix Magazine annually from 2005-2019. He served as a clinical volunteer in numerous countries, including Vietnam, Guatemala, Peru, Brazil, and Nicaragua, as well as in Guadalupe and Phoenix. P.K. published his doctoral dissertation on short-term medical volunteering overseas.

P.K. served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War but did not see combat. Subsequently, he's treated many military veterans during his long medical practice. He’s also taught medicine all over the world. And he’s published dozens of articles in numerous medical publications. 

For the past three years, he’s been a clinical volunteer with the Lincoln County Medical Reserve Corps in Oregon. He now tends to overnight guests in a winter shelter for those who are experiencing homelessness.