Jacob M. Appel (born February 21, 1973) is an American author, poet,
bioethicist
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...
, physician, lawyer and social critic.Nagamatsu, Sequoia "A Few Words with the Ubiquitous Jacob M. Appel" ''Prince Mincer'' Journal http://primemincer.com/ confirmed 26 April 2013 He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics,
organ donation
Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or dead with the assent of the next of kin.
Donation may be for re ...
,
neuroethics
In philosophy and neuroscience, Neuroethics is the study of both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics. The ethics of neuroscience comprises the bulk of work in neuroethics. It concerns the ethical, legal and social impact of n ...
The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up
''The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up'' won the 2013 International Rubery Book Award and is a 2012 satiricalDundee International Book Prize
The Dundee International Book Prize was awarded from 2000 to 2016. It billed itself as the UK's premier prize for debut novelists. It included a £5,000 cash award. The annual award was for an unpublished debut novel on any theme and in any genre ...
in 2012. He is the director of Ethics Education in Psychiatry and an associate professor of psychiatry and medical education at the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eig ...
, and he practices
emergency psychiatry
Emergency psychiatry is the clinical application of psychiatry in emergency medicine, emergency settings. Conditions requiring psychiatric interventions may include failed suicide attempt, attempted suicide, substance abuse, clinical depression, ...
at the adjoining
Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is a hospital network in New York City. It was formed in September 2013 by merging the operations of Continuum Health Partners and the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
The Health System is structured around eight hospit ...
. Appel is the subject of the 2019 documentary film ''Jacob'' by director Jon Stahl.
Education
Appel was born in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
to Gerald B. Appel and Alice Appel and raised in Scarsdale, New York, and Branford, Connecticut. His family is Jewish. He completed his Bachelor of Arts at Brown University with double majors in English and American literature and in history (1995). He has seven master's degrees from:
* Brown University (Master of Arts in European history, 1996)
* Columbia University (Master of Arts in American history, 1998, and Master of Philosophy in American history, 2000)
* New York University (Master of Fine Arts in creative writing with a focus in fiction, 2000)
* Albany Medical College, constituent of the Union University of New York (Master of Science in
bioethics
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, m ...
, 2012)
* Queens College of the City University of New York (Master of Fine Arts in playwriting, 2013)
*
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eig ...
(Master of Public Health, 2014)
He holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School (2003) and a Doctor of Medicine from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (2009). He completed his
medical residency
Residency or postgraduate training is specifically a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician (one who holds the degree of MD, DO, MBBS, MBChB), veterinarian ( DVM or VMD) , dentist ( DDS or DMD) or podiatrist ( ...
in clinical psychiatry and
medical fellowship
A fellowship is the period of medical training, in the United States and Canada, that a physician, dentist, or veterinarian may undertake after completing a specialty training program (residency). During this time (usually more than one year) ...
in
psychosomatic medicine
Psychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships among social, psychological, behavioral factors on bodily processes and quality of life in humans and animals.
The academic forebear of the modern field of ...
at the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eig ...
Appel is a "prolific" short story writer.
His fiction has been published in literary journals, including ''
Agni
Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
'', ''
The Alaska Quarterly Review
''The Alaska Quarterly Review'' is a biannual literary journal founded in 1980 by Ronald Spatz and James Liszka at the University of Alaska Anchorage and continued unaffiliated in 2020.July 1, 2020 University of Alaska Anchorage ended its financi ...
'', ''
The Gettysburg Review
''The Gettysburg Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine featuring short stories, poetry, essays and reviews. Work appearing in the magazine often is reprinted in "best-of" anthologies and receives awards.
The little magazine "is recognized ...
'', ''
The Missouri Review
''The Missouri Review'' is a literary magazine founded in 1978 by the University of Missouri. It publishes fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction quarterly. With its open submission policy, ''The Missouri Review'' receives 12,000 manuscripts ...
StorySouth
''storySouth'' is an online quarterly literary magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, criticism, essays, and visual artwork, with a focus on the Southern United States. The journal also runs the annual Million Writers Award to select the best sh ...
'' and ''
Virginia Quarterly Review
The ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established in 1925 by James Southall Wilson, at the request of University of Virginia president E. A. Alderman. This ''"National Journal of Literature and Discussion" ...
''.
His first story collection, '' Scouting for the Reaper'', won Black Lawrence Press's Hudson Prize in 2012. Among the other awards he has won for his short stories are those sponsored by the ''
Boston Review
''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...
Best American Short Stories The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of '' The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in co ...
'' (2007, 2008, 2013), ''
Best American Nonrequired Reading
''The Best American Nonrequired Reading'' was a yearly anthology of fiction and nonfiction selected annually by high school students in California and Michigan through 826 Valencia and 826michigan. The volume was part of ''The Best American Series ...
'' (2006, 2007), '' Best American Mystery Stories'' (2009) and the Pushcart Prize (2006, 2007,The Pushcart Prize XXXI : Best of the Small Presses (Bill Henderson ed) 2007 2011, 2014, 2019).
His debut novel ''
The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up
''The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up'' won the 2013 International Rubery Book Award and is a 2012 satirical It was described as "A darkly comic satire, full of insight into American culture" by Stephen Fry and "engaging, funny, ingenious, even charming" by Philip Pullman. His book subsequently wo The International Rubery Book Award in 2013.
His plays have been performed by companies across the U.S., including the
Detroit Repertory Theatre Detroit Repertory Theatre is a regional theatre located at 13103 Woodrow Wilson in Detroit, Michigan with a seating capacity of 194. It is Michigan's longest running, non-profit, professional (union) Theatre. The theatre began as a children's music ...
Gotham Writers' Workshop
Gotham Writers Workshop is the United States's largest adult-education writing school. It was founded in New York City in 1993 by writers Jeff Fligelman and David Grae. It was one of the first schools to offer online education, launching its onl ...
and New York University. He served as writer-in-residence at Yeshiva College in 2013.
Bioethicist
Academic bioethics
As a professional bioethicist, Appel has published in ''
Hastings Center Report
The ''Hastings Center Report'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal of bioethics
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but als ...
Bulletin of the History of Medicine
The ''Bulletin of the History of Medicine'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1933. It is an official publication of the American Association for the History of Medicine and of the Johns Hopkins Institute of the History ...
'', ''The Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics'', '' The Journal of Medical Ethics'', ''The Journal of Bioethical Inquiry'' and ''GeneWatch'', the journal of the
Council for Responsible Genetics
The Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG) was a nonprofit NGO with a focus on biotechnology.
History
The Council for Responsible Genetics was founded in 1983 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
An early voice concerned about the social and ethical ...
. He is the author of a "Bioethics in Action" curriculum for ''The New York Times''.
Appel is an advocate for the decriminalization of assisted suicide, raising the possibility that this might be made available to both the terminally ill and those with intractable, long-term mental illness. He has also defended the Groningen Protocol. He has written in favor of abortion rights and fertility treatment for homosexuals, as well as against
electronic medical records
An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared throu ...
, which he sees as poorly secured against hacking. He has also argued in favor of the legalization of prostitution, polygamy and incest between consenting adults. He has raised concerns regarding the possibility that employers will require their employees to use pharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement and has urged that death row inmates be eligible to receive kidney transplants. He generated considerable controversy for endorsing the mandatory use of
preimplantation genetic diagnosis
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD or PIGD) is the genetic profiling of embryos prior to implantation (as a form of embryo profiling), and sometimes even of oocytes prior to fertilization. PGD is considered in a similar fashion to prenatal ...
as part of the
in vitro fertilization
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) f ...
process to prevent the implantation of embryos carrying severe genetic defects. Appel has also written in support of an "open border" immigration policy. Among the causes that Appel has embraced is opposition to the forcible feeding of hunger strikers, both in domestic prisons and at Guantanamo Bay. He has written that exposure to literature should be a medical school admissions requirement.
He has taught medical ethics at New York University, Columbia University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Brown University's
Alpert Medical School
The Warren Alpert Medical School (formerly known as Brown Medical School, previously known as Brown University School of Medicine) is the medical school of Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally established in 1811, ...
.
Commentary
Appel writes for both
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
and Opposing Views. He has staked out a libertarian position on many bioethical issues, advocating a worldview that he describes as "a culture of liberty." He has written
opinion piece
An opinion piece is an article, usually published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about a subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.
Editorials
Opinion pieces may take the form of an editorial, ...
s in ''The New York Times'', ''New York Daily News'', ''New York Post'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''Orlando Sentinel'', ''Albany Times-Union'', ''Tucson Citizen'', ''Detroit Free Press'', ''New Haven Register'', ''Baltimore Sun'' and ''The Providence Journal''. ''
The Best American Essays ''The Best American Essays'' is a yearly anthology of magazine articles published in the United States.Robert Atwan (ed.), Adam Gopnick (guest ed.). ''The Best American Essays 2008'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. It was started in 1986 and is ...
'' series named his nonfiction pieces as "notable essays" in the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017, and received "special mention" from the Pushcart Prize in 2012 and 2017.''The Best American Essays 2017'' (ed. Robert Atwan) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2017
Plays
* ''The Resurrection of Dismas and Gestas'' (2005)
* ''In the Floodplain'' (2005)
* ''
Arborophilia
''Arborophilia'' is a play by Jacob M. Appel, about a woman whose daughters have both vexed her in love: one is dating a Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a mon ...
'' (2006)
* ''The Three Belles of Eden'' (2006)
* ''Thirds'' (2007)
* ''
The Mistress of Wholesome
''The Mistress of Wholesome'' is a play by Jacob Appel that premiered at the Little Theatre of Alexandria on May 16, 2008.
The play was directed by Keith Waters and starred Kacie Greenwood, Danielle Y. Eure and Jung Weil. A second production at ...
'' (2007)
* ''The Replacement'' (2008)
* ''Woodpecker'' (2008)
* '' Causa Mortis'' (2009)
* '' Helen of Sparta'' (2009)Reinink, Amy, "Women claim a dramatic spot in Laurel," ''Business Gazette'', August 27, 2009
Phoning Home
In computing, phoning home is a term often used to refer to the behavior of security systems that report network location, username, or other such data to another computer.
Phoning home may be useful for the proprietor in tracking a missing or st ...
'' (University of South Carolina Press, 2014)
* '' Einstein's Beach House'' (Pressgang/Butler University, 2014)
* ''The Magic Laundry'' ( Snake Nation, 2015)
* '' Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets'' (Black Lawrence, 2015)
* ''Wedding Wipeout'' (Cozy Cat Press, 2013)
* '' The Topless Widow of Herkimer Street'' (Howling Bird Press/Augsburg College, 2016)
* '' Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana'' (Black Lawrence, 2016)
* '' The Mask of Sanity'' (Permanent Press, 2017)
* ''The Liars' Asylum'' (Black Lawrence Press, 2017)
* '' Millard Salter's Last Day'' (Gallery Books, 2017)
* ''The Amazing Mr. Morality'' (Vandalia Press/West Virginia University, 2018)
* ''The Cynic in Extremis: Poems'' (Able Muse, 2018)
* ''Amazing Things Are Happening Here'' (Black Lawrence, 2019)
* ''Surrendering Appomattox'' (C&R, 2019)
* ''Who Says You're Dead?'' (Algonquin, 2019)
* ''Winter Honeymoon'' (Black Lawrence, 2020)
* ''Shaving with Occam'' (Press Americana, 2022)