Pluck - by Alfred Sadler & Blair Sadler (Hardcover)

About the Book

Alfred and Blair Sadler worked as a medical-legal team from 1967-1976. During that time, they held positions at the National Institutes of Health, on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine, as senior officers at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and were Founding Fellows of the Hastings Center on Bioethics. Together they helped draft the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act in 1968 which was adopted by all 50 states and provides the legal framework for the national network of organ sharing that we have today. In addition to collaborating on their latest book, Pluck, they co-authored The Physician's Assistant: Today and Tomorrow in 1972 and Emergency Medical Care: The Neglected Public Service in 1977.

Book Synopsis

"A GEM OF A BOOK." -Donald Berwick, MD

50 years ago a uniform organ donation law had not been enacted, the physician assistant wasn't a profession, bioethics wasn't a field, and emergency medical services was a hearse or a painted station wagon with a driver who had inadequate medical training, and 9-1-1 didn't yet exist.

From 1967 to 1976, Alfred Sadler and Blair Sadler, a doctor and a lawyer, who are also twin brothers, collaborated on major decisions and laws which had multigenerational and lifesaving impacts in our country including:

✓ The transformation of emergency medicine from a wasteland to a vital component of health care

✓ The development of the universal state law (Uniform Anatomical Gift Act) authorizing organ donation and transplantation

✓ The birth of the brand-new physician assistant profession

✓ The emergence of bioethics as a core principle in healthcare today

In Pluck, the Sadlers share their extraordinary story of helping to create change in four different areas of healthcare in just nine years, while working at the National Institutes of Health, Yale University Medical School, The Hastings Center on Bioethics, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The book also highlights 15 lessons for catalyzing change that endure and are relevant today. Pluck will inspire, motivate, and educate the next generation who are committed to making positive changes in our world.

Review Quotes

"An inspiring story of crucial and familiar aspects of the health care system. The Sadler brothers have an engaging story to tell and do so in an enlightening way." -Kirkus Reviews

"...Fred and Blair Sadler..., a tenacious lawyer-doctor team, share their inspiring quest to fundamentally change public policy and improve modern medicine." --BookLife Reviews

"Pluck is a memorable story of the work of two brothers on some of the twentieth century's most crucial public health and bioethics issues, ending with inspiring lessons for today's change makers." --Foreword Reviews

"The behind-the-scenes story of how twin brothers--doctor and lawyer--collaborated with scores of unsung heroes to modernize emergency medical services, help create the physician assistant profession, help write the model law for organ donation and develop other programs that save thousands of lives a year. Pluck is an inspiring model for how to lead major change--a great read, couldn't put it down." --James A. Guest, Past President and CEO of Consumers Union

"They reverse engineer their effectiveness...in a series of lessons learned offering guidance for the leadership of change, always emphasizing initiative, optimism, resilience, and above all, cooperation.... No matter which of their several quests they describe, Blair and Fred also reveal a level of agility and creativity that marks the best leaders. They always seem to find a pathway out of paralysis and conflict into shared possibility." --Donald M. Berwick, M.D. President Emeritus and Senior Fellow Institute for Healthcare Improvement

"A jewel of a book full of keen insight about humane purpose, perseverance, and the power of TWO in making a lasting difference in service to others." --Leonard L. Berry, University Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Texas A&M University

"This book is full of gems on how to scale a brilliant idea into widespread adoption. The Sadler brothers have had a major impact on the health sector over the past fifty years. This is their story." --Gary Cohen, Co-Founder and President, Health Care without Harm

"A great story, very readable and well written, with lessons for us all." --Lord Nigel Crisp, Chief Executive, the National Health Service, England 2000-2006

"The Sadler brothers were there at the beginning, shaping the early days of bioethics and drafting seminal legislation governing organ transplantation. In this charming account, they demonstrate how individuals can make a difference, offering a wise prescription for a new generation of leadership." --Joseph J. Fins, M.D., Professor of Medical Ethics and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College

"The authors demonstrate how the repeated sharing of ideas in a transparent manner can increase the investment of others in the need for change and affect the lives of many Americans. " --Carl Fasser, Past President, Physician Assistant Education Association, Professor and Program Director, PA Program Baylor College of Medicine

"In this comprehensive report of their journey to enhance health care for the public good, the Sadlers have captured the worth and value of teamwork. The lessons learned are shared for all of us who aspire to improve relationships in our work." --Loretta C. Ford, PNP, EdD, Co-founder of the first Nurse Practitioner Program in 1965, University of Colorado

"The authors' stories challenge and empower us to identify comparable decisions and opportu

About the Author

Alfred and Blair Sadler worked as a medical-legal team from 1967-1976. During that time, they held positions at the National Institutes of Health, on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine, as senior officers at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and were Founding Fellows of the Hastings Center on Bioethics. Together they helped draft the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act in 1968 which was adopted by all 50 states and provides the legal framework for the national network of organ sharing that we have today. In addition to collaborating on their latest book, Pluck, they co-authored The Physician's Assistant: Today and Tomorrow in 1972 and Emergency Medical Care: The Neglected Public Service in 1977.