Prior was a family physician in Chillicothe, Ohio before devoting himself to addiction medicine. He was aware of Purdue’s complicity in the opiate epidemic from early on. He died of liver cancer in 2013, and, ironically, spent his last days addicted to the opiates he was given to alleviate pain. Prior’s narrative illustrates the complex but legitimate place opiates have in modern medicine.
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Dr. Phillip Prior Character Timeline in Dreamland
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Phillip Prior appears in Dreamland. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Swing with OxyContin
In 1997 in Chillicothe, a town in Southern Ohio, Dr. Phillip Prior notes an influx of salesman from Purdue Pharma making the rounds at this hospital. Armed...
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Part 2: The Criminal Case
Meanwhile, Dr. Phillip Prior of Southern Ohio moves from family medicine to specializing in addiction at the Veterans Administration...
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Part 4: Nobody Can Do It Alone
Dr. Phillip Prior died of liver cancer in 2013. When he died, hundreds attended his funeral. Dr. Orman...
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