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Duke surgeon makes jump from consultant to writer for Monday’s ‘The Good Doctor’

Dr. Oren Gottfried has 20 years of experience as a neurosurgeon, which should give a boost of confidence to any patient under his care at Duke.

But he also has more than 10 years of experience as a consultant for scripted medical dramas, which puts TV viewers in good hands as well.

Over the years, Gottfried has consulted on shows such as “Royal Pains” (USA), “Elementary” (CBS), “”Incorporated” (Syfy), “Mr. Mercedes” (Peacock) and “Chicago Med” (NBC).

For the past three seasons, Gottfried has been the lead medical consultant for ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” and with Monday’s episode, Gottfried gets his first writer’s credit.

“I put a lot of time into my story pitches on every episode,” Gottfried said. “But this one was special because I knew that I would have more involvement ... this time I’m designated as one of the writers.”

Gottfried became involved with “The Good Doctor” at the end of the show’s first season, when he was called as a volunteer consultant. It was a “good fit,” he said, so they asked him to come on board as full time lead medical consultant, starting with Season 2.

The show, which centers on a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, is in its fourth season and is one of ABC’s highest-rated drama series.

Monday’s episode is about the team of doctors at St. Bonaventure Hospital working to save two young gunshot victims injured when a political protest turned violent.

Gottfried said he gets his ideas “from reading medical journals and popular press and staying in touch with what’s going on in society.”

But knowing what kinds of stories and plots will work for any particular show takes some homework.

“I study a show almost like it’s a surgery, basically breaking it apart to see how they view the world and how they view medicine,” Gottfried said. “I’m not just pitching some disease or pitching a surgery, I’m pitching how that particular patient’s presentation would allow for growth for both the patient and doctors involved, and the characters. And I’m thinking, how does that make the viewer feel, and could I do something that makes the viewer feel strongly about a subject, or feel better or feel emotional.”

One place Gottfried will not draw from for his story pitches is his own patients. He will borrow from his own emotional experiences but stresses that he would never use his patients.

Duke neurosurgeon Dr. Oren Gottfried, photographed in April 2019.
Duke neurosurgeon Dr. Oren Gottfried, photographed in April 2019.

“My reaction to a circumstance as a human and as a surgeon and as a doctor, I do borrow from that,” he said. “It’s hard to read medical literature and get any emotional experience, and that’s where I draw on the path I’ve been on, caring for patients for 20 years.”

His side gig working on television shows is more than just a fun diversion. Gottfried said he believes working on — and watching — medical dramas has made him a better doctor.

“I gain from the process of working on medical dramas,” he said. “I think it allows me to think through situations that have not occurred to me and even practice going through a scenario and how I would react. I’m drawn into the emotional experience in the creation of the story that I think makes me a more sensitive and empathetic doctor.”

And as far as one day making the jump from behind-the-scenes to on-camera, that has already happened.

Gottfried appeared on screen in Season 4’s Episode 11, which aired on March 8, demonstrating how to do a spine surgery on a model. The scene was filmed at Duke (“The Good Doctor” series films in Vancouver).

“It was a fun moment for me,” Gottfried said. “I was kind of proud of myself that I made it on air for that.”

Watch ‘The Good Doctor’

“The Good Doctor” airs at 10 p.m. on Mondays on ABC.

You can also watch online at abc.com/shows/the-good-doctor and stream the next day on Hulu.