Still Alice

by

Lisa Genova

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Still Alice makes teaching easy.
The neurologist to whom Dr. Tamara Moyer refers Alice. Dr. Davis sends Alice to take some basic cognitive tests and performs a short one in his office before telling her she has Alzheimer’s. Dr. Davis is the one who pushes Alice to both tell John about her disease and get him to come to the rest of her appointments. At each appointment, Dr. Davis administers the same short cognitive test to gauge changes in her memory. Dr. Davis also attends Alice’s final speech at the Dementia Care Conference.
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Dr. Davis Character Timeline in Still Alice

The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Davis appears in Still Alice. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
December 2003
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
...before Christmas, Alice goes to the Memory Disorders Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital to see Dr. Davis , a neurologist. Alice explains her memory problems to Dr. Davis, who asks her how... (full context)
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis asks Alice many of the same questions about her lifestyle, eating habits, sleeping habits, and... (full context)
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis tells Alice that he is going to give her an address to remember. After that... (full context)
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis tells Alice that he has the results of her recent bloodwork and MRI, but he... (full context)
January 2004
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Alice is very nervous about her next appointment with Dr. Davis because the appointment is on January 19th, which is the same day her sister and... (full context)
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis tells Alice that her physical tests had come back clean and ruled out cancer or... (full context)
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Alice denies that she could have Alzheimer’s because she’s only 50 but Dr. Davis explains that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s, which typically occurs in people under 65 and usually... (full context)
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Back at her office, Alice looks through some of the literature Dr. Davis gave her and studies the descriptions of various symptoms. Alice realizes that, for her, eventually,... (full context)
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
...she tells him, John asks who she had seen and when. She tells him about Dr. Davis and that she’s known for ten days. John tells her that Dr. Davis is wrong,... (full context)
February 2004
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
...change anything. Although John thinks there’s still room for doubt, Alice accepts her diagnosis from Dr. Davis . John has talked to him and believes that Dr. Davis only thinks Alice has... (full context)
June 2004
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Alice returns to Mass General Hospital for her checkup with Dr. Davis . She performs many of the same neuropsychological tests that she took during her last... (full context)
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Alice is led into Dr. Davis ’s office, where he and John are waiting for her. Alice does not feel like... (full context)
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis asks Alice about any other issues she’s been having and if she’s still running regularly.... (full context)
Ambition and Success Theme Icon
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis asks Alice if she’s informed anyone at Harvard of her diagnosis and she tells him... (full context)
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
John asks Dr. Davis about clinical trials for which Alice qualifies. Dr. Davis shares some information about a clinical... (full context)
February 2005
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Back in Dr. Davis ’s office, Alice feels “emotionally weary and intellectually trapped” after finishing the neuropsychological tests. She... (full context)
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
John asks Dr. Davis if Alice should “be like this” already. Dr. Davis explains that her symptoms had probably... (full context)
Loss of Identity Theme Icon
Illness, Marriage, and Family Theme Icon
Alzheimer’s, Quality of Life, and Happiness Theme Icon
Dr. Davis asks Alice if she still goes on runs, but she tells him she doesn’t because... (full context)