Longtime Alaskan Neil Davis is known for his accomplishments as a geophysicist with NASA and the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. He is the author of the newspaper column "Dose of Reality" (on medical finances), two novels, a collection of short stories, and several nonfiction books on history and science. He began investigating medical billing practices when his eldest daughter was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer in 2004.