BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Sara Cohen, a Boston doctor who specializes in brain disorders, revealed in January 2026 that she is the thriller author known as Freida McFadden. The disclosure came after a hospital colleague recognized Cohen from a photo of the author and informed other staff members.

Cohen had kept her writing identity separate from her medical career since 2013, when she self-published her first book, The Devil Wears Scrubs, a fictionalized account of her life as a resident doctor. She initially chose a pen name to conceal her identity, selecting "Freida McFadden" as a reference to the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. Her publishing career took off when she began writing psychological thrillers.

"I'm at a point in my career when I'm tired of this being a secret. I'm tired of people debating if I'm a real person or if I'm three men. I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don't have anything to hide," Cohen said.

She has published 29 novels to date, including The Housemaid, first published in 2022 and adapted into a 2025 film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. In 2026, three of her novels — The Housemaid, Want to Know a Secret?, and Dear Debbie — reached number one on best-seller charts. She sold six million print copies in the United States and was the second best-selling author in the United Kingdom in 2025 with 2.6 million books sold, behind only Julia Donaldson.

In 2024, she told the New York Times she was concerned her patients might feel uncomfortable being treated by a best-selling thriller writer. "At work, I want to be a doctor. A lot of my books have medical stuff in them, and I don't want people saying, 'Is this based on me?' It feels unprofessional."

She also told the Washington Post in 2024 that she did not like being the center of attention. When making public appearances as Freida McFadden, she wears a wig to alter her appearance. She told USA Today the wig is also because she does not know how to style her hair.

She transitioned to working part-time as a doctor in 2023 and currently practices approximately one or two times per month. After her colleagues at the hospital learned her identity, they refrained from posting about it on social media. She organized a book signing event at her workplace to thank them.

She added that she wants her fans, known as the McFans and Freida Readahs, to continue knowing her by her pseudonym, Freida McFadden.