NEW RELEASE
Comfort Always:
Healing in the Age of Technology
Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026
A pediatric neurosurgeon’s affecting memoir about celebrating life, postponing death, and resurrecting the forgotten art of healing.
ADVANCE PRAISE
"An inspirational medical memoir about the forgotten art of healing. Comfort Always will make you laugh, cry, and marvel at the resilience of families facing the crisis of their lives."
—Sanjay Gupta, MD, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent
“Extraordinary stories about one of the most demanding fields of medicine—and much wisdom."
—Dr. Henry Marsh, CBE, FRCS British neurosurgeon and bestselling author of Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery
“A marvelous picture of the life of a pediatric neurosurgeon, his patients, and their families.”
—Jerome Groopman, MD, Recanati professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and bestselling author of How Doctors Think
“Cohen’s stories describing both medical miracles and tragedies are so engaging, and his humanity shines through each one of them.”
—David Sandberg, MD, emeritus professor and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School and bestselling author of Brain and Heart: The Triumphs and Struggles of a Pediatric Neurosurgeon
“With authenticity and humility, one of the country’s most prominent surgeons opens a world that few have the fortitude to tread.”
—Allan H. Ropper, MD, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and bestselling author of Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole and How the Brain Lost Its Mind
“Sprinkling each story with humor, history, and a deep reverence for his patients and their parents, Big Al allows us a glimpse into a lifetime of lifesaving, and the massive heart of a man who is a treasure in our field.”
—Jay Wellons, MD, professor of neurological surgery at Vanderbilt University and author of All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience
Textbooks
Dr. Cohen's bibliography includes 250 journal, chapter, and book publications, and 350 national and international presentations. His textbook Pediatric Neurosurgery: Tricks of the Trade was awarded first prize by the Association of American Publishers and the British Medical Association, and was translated into Chinese and Spanish.
Journals: Cover Articles
Dr. Cohen was the inaugural United States editor of the international journal, Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, and is associate editor of Child’s Nervous System.
His invited review article, "Brain Tumors in Children," was published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2022 and was translated into Chinese.














