Author: James E Turner

Jim Turner grew up in small-town Southern Illinois. His fondest memories of this period are spending time with his grandmother on her small farm and roaming the surrounding woods and fields with his cousins and friends. His maternal ancestors include a long line of oral storytellers. Growing up on family tales told by his grandmother and the WWII adventures of his uncles gave him a fascination for history, and a desire to preserve the accounts of these family stories. Throughout junior high and high school, most spare time was consumed helping his aunts and uncles on their farms. In 1967, the Selective Service System interrupted his rather unpromising educational path for a two-year tour in the U.S. Army. This experience proved transformative. Following his military service, which included stationing at The Pentagon and occasional assignments at the White House, he completed pre-medical studies at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and medical school at Northwestern University. Upon completion of his training, Dr. Turner practiced and taught critical care medicine for thirty years, with special interests in neurological injuries and severe sepsis syndrome. After retiring from clinical practice in the ICU, he began a project to translate the oral history he heard as a child, along with a few of his own experiences, into written form. Time and Effort, published in January 2019 is the first product of this endeavor. He currently divides his time between his home in Northern California and the family farm in Southern Illinois. He continues to provide analysis and advice for complex medical cases, quality assurance issues, and the logistics of health care delivery. Dr. Turner is available for speaking engagements regarding health care, atypical learning patterns, and telling tall tales for fun and profit.