Paul Roach was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois.  He attended Loyola University of Chicago as an undergraduate earning a B.A. in English Literature. He attended Medical School at Rush Medical College on a military scholarship. He Interned in Surgery at the University of California, trained in General Surgery at the University of Maryland, and sub-specialized in Surgical Oncology at the University of Chicago. 

During his 31-year career within the U.S. Navy he served in a variety of capacities aboard ships and in the field:  as a physician for aviation squadrons, as a General Surgeon in an overseas hospital in Europe, as a Surgical Oncologist in stateside hospitals, and several times as a combat surgeon far-forward in direct support of combat missions.

Paul’s first novel, The End, was conceived in 2010 while in preparation for a major military offensive in Helmand Province, Afghanistan; his second novel, Jack’s Rogues, was conceived while doing the same in Mosul and in Erbil, northeastern Iraq and Kurdistan.  His memoir Citizen Surgeon is a slice-of-life description of the experience of being a combat surgeon in immediate support of the U.S. Marines and ISAF Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and in addition to print, it is an Audiobook distributed by Blackstone Publishing Company.

He hosts x2 podcasts: “So doc, it’s Cancer?” and “Fixing Chicago,” and is eager to receive your recommendations for topics, guests, your opinions, your thoughts.