Dr. M.J.(Mike) Politis

MJ (Mike) Politis was born in Hoboken, NJ in 1951 and grew up in the Big (crab) Apple obtaining a B.S. in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1973 under its brilliant and independently-thinking faculty in many departments. He then obtained a Ph.D. in medical physiology from the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1978, specializing in neurophysiology and nerve regeneration. He spent the next four years at Albert Einstein Medical School in the Bronx as a Post-doc and Instructor, expanding his biological research in reconstructive neurology (how to put traumatized/diseased nervous systems back together again) as well as doing ground breaking work in assessing the biological basis of neurological diseases. In 1982 he obtained an MRC Scholarship award from the Medical Research Council in Canada and headed off beyond the Western Horizon to a faculty position and lab of his own at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where he taught virtually all areas of physiology and pathology to several thousand students at the graduate and undergraduate levels, which involved a one year contact working at the Depts of Zoology and Orthopedic Surgery at University of British Columbia. By 1990, he was senior author on over 50 original research articles published in such journals as Brain Research, Experimental Neurology and Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He pioneered 8 new ways to improve function and restore recovery to damaged nervous systems ranging from use of DC electrical current to application of specific exogenous substances to injured tissue, along with side-journeys into use of interleukin therapy to target and destroy cancerous tumors in brain tissue. After studying acupuncture, he critically tested its uses and limitations in the laboratory, expanding it to the clinical sphere. Somewhere around 1996 (three pm, on a Tuesday, as recalled and recorded somewhere) MJ earned an H.B.A.R.P. degree (human being, aspiring Rennaisance person) outside of the academic walls in the real/reel world.

In the mid 90s, Dr. P was commissioned to write the best selling Complete Idiot’s Guide to Improving Your IQ (Apple Books) in which science, humor and humanity are interwoven into an entertaining and educational read.

His bench-to-bedside approach led him to obtain a veterinary degree in 1995, which he uses part-time to bring the best of science to animals in need, and to keep in contact with the heart/soul of humanity.

MJ came to writing Works directed at treating the collective human’ Soul, rather than only the body, in the mid 80s, producing, writing and directing his first film in 1989. ‘A Viking’s Carol’ was the first Saskatchewan-based one hour drama to be aired on commercial television in the province, hitting the airways over CTV in December of that year. He went on to produce, direct and write the feature length drama ‘Kefi’s Garage’, featuring Gordon Tootoosis, in 1992. Upon relocating to British Columbia in the late 90s, he wrote/directed a CBC series one hour pilot ‘The Kilburns’, featuring Donnelly Rhodes and Linda Darlow. His subsequent independent one hour to feature length dramas/comedies which were commercially aired (CBC, CTV, E!, Bravo, City-tv) included ‘Of Lions and Lambs’ (based on novel of same title), ‘Mentoring’ (serio-comedic feature-length film about two souls exchanging roles as student and teacher in various capacities, ‘Mindless Love’ (commissioned by Citytv as episode in Stories About Love Anthology) ‘Let There Be Light’ (about an aging Nicola Tesla), ‘Albert and Mileva/God Does Not Play Dice’ (young Albert and Mileva Einstein) and more recently, ‘Stalin’s Psychiatrist’ (‘Uncle Joe’ Stalin locked in a room with a shrink while having his nervous breakdown in June, 1941). The latter three, admitedly low budget films, are part of a one hour series, ‘Electrifying Encounters’ which are aimed at the educational and entertainment markets.

In the early 90s, MJ focused attention on writing novels, and since that time has written over 35 of them in various genres. He has written twice that number of screenplays as well and five plays, one of which was performed at the Fringe Festival in 1995, another which was produced in New York a year later. Though much of his work involves historical fiction and biomedical themes, MJ has actively worked in many different genres of comedy, drama and satire.

MJ took to the radio airways for three years with his own free-form two hour show which involved liteary reads, music commentaries and a series of long form (20 min to one hour) music-mocumentaries he produced, including ‘Unstrung Heroes of Classical Music’, complimenting his producing/writing/directing of film mocumentaries (e.g., ‘In Search of Graffitiman’) and the print satire ‘Surviving the Avion Flu’.

His ‘written for all ages of thinking people’ young adult/childrens’ books include ‘Swimmers’ and ‘Socratease’.

MJ is owned by several horses in Interior British Columbia, Canada and confers with them on many occasions with regard to storylines and philosophical concepts. He continues to maintain an active ‘side life’ as a biomedical researcher and veterinary clinician.

Currently in active development for independent production as a film are ‘Henry and the Wolf Doctor’ and ‘Fetal Distractions’. Larger budget films in development, many of which are based on novels of the same title, include ‘Revolutionary Blues’, ‘Telenkovian Experiment’, ‘Heart of the Healer’, ‘999AD’, ‘Professor Jack’, ‘Ghost Agent’ and ‘Run for the 49th’.