He’s one of the most notorious pill mill doctors: Dr. Paul Volkman. Sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for unlawfully prescribing pain medications that led to multiple deaths, his story is a shocking descent from a respected pediatrician and emergency room physician to a key figure in flooding southern Ohio with prescription drugs.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with author Philip Eil, who spent nearly 15 years researching and writing about Volkman. His book, Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the ‘Pill Mill Killer,’ delves deep into Volkman’s transformation. Eil’s insights are drawn from interviews with Volkman himself, conversations with those affected by his crimes, and firsthand observations from Volkman’s courtroom sentencing. Tune in to hear his compelling perspective on the medical field’s role in the opioid epidemic.
The Emily’s Hope Substance Use Prevention Curriculum has been carefully designed to address growing concerns surrounding substance use and overdose in our communities. Our curriculum focuses on age-appropriate and evidence-based content that educates children about the risks of substance use while empowering them to make healthy choices.
MEET THE GUEST
Philip Eil
Philip Eil is an award-winning freelance journalist based in his hometown, Providence, Rhode Island. He is the former news editor of the alt-weekly newspaper, The Providence Phoenix. Since the paper’s close in 2014, he has contributed to The Atlantic, Men’s Health, the Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among other outlets. He has also taught writing and journalism classes at Brown University, Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and the Rhode Island School of Design. He holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the Columbia University School of the Arts. Prescription for Pain is his first book.
