Dr Michael Best
Medical Practioner, Author
Dr. Michael Best is an 80-year-old medical practitioner with over 50 years of experience in Australian healthcare. Originally from France, he emigrated to Australia at age six and has lived in Melbourne for most of his life. His parents came from Ukraine (father) and Poland (mother), giving him a rich multicultural heritage.
Michael's medical career began in medical administration, working in both Melbourne and Canberra before transitioning to full-time general practice in 1990. He practiced as a GP until retiring at age 70, then spent five years working with a private hospital group in Melbourne, where he collaborated with specialists in the rehabilitation department.
At 74, during the COVID pandemic, Michael's career took an unexpected turn. A conversation about telehealth opportunities introduced him to medicinal cannabis and the endocannabinoid system—a biological network he had never encountered in his decades of medical practice. Fascinated by this discovery, he devoted months to intensive research during COVID lockdowns before beginning clinical work in the medicinal cannabis field, where he practiced for three and a half years.
Now retired from clinical practice, Michael is writing The Science Beneath Medicinal Cannabis, a book aimed at bridging the gap between patient experience and medical establishment understanding. His work explores the endocannabinoid system's role in pain management, sleep, anxiety, and overall homeostasis, drawing on both scientific research and his clinical experience with patients.
At 80, Michael embodies lifelong learning, having taught himself sophisticated digital tools including Obsidian for note-taking, Zotero for reference management, and AI assistants like Claude for research support. He is mentored by award-winning author Hazel Edwards, who he credits as instrumental in his book-writing journey. Michael's grandfather wrote a bestselling book in 1930 that was translated into 30 languages, providing inspiration for his own literary ambitions.
Beyond medicine and writing, Michael maintains an active lifestyle that includes tennis and singing. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and continues to engage intellectually with emerging technologies and scientific research, demonstrating that cognitive vitality and learning capacity can flourish well into one's ninth decade.
