About

For John F. McGeehan, MD, medicine was never a job to be clocked in and out of. It was his life’s work. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and completing his residency at Pennsylvania Hospital, he chose to practice primary care. For more than thirty years, he ran a solo practice where patients knew his door was always open.

But he didn’t stop at caring for patients. Teaching became another passion. At Mercy Hospital in Scranton, he served as director of medical education and chair of medicine. He played a key role in starting the Commonwealth Medical College and later joined Cooper Medical School of Rowan University as associate dean. His students remember him not only for his knowledge but for reminding them that every patient carries a story.

Ethics was another pillar of his journey. As chair of hospital and state committees, he stood at the intersection of medicine and morality, guiding families and doctors through decisions where there was no easy answer.

Then came his own trial. A sudden illness left him near death, with no memory of weeks of his life. The recovery was long and frightening. Yet it left him with gratitude, clarity, and a renewed love for those who stood beside him.

A Doctor’s Stories: Behind Closed Doors gathers these lessons, these encounters, and these voices. It is a book about patients, families, teachers, and the fragile yet powerful ties that connect us. Through every story, Dr. McGeehan shows that medicine is not only about curing—it is about caring, with honesty, courage, and compassion.