An anesthesiologist and the founder of Stanford’s medical humanities program shares how she comforts patients during their most vulnerable moments and why the medical humanities matter.

The Director of Yale Cancer Center and President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology shares what being a lifelong patient with hemophilia has taught him about compassion and empathy.

The Director of Stanford’s Addiction Medicine Service discusses how we can renew meaning and connectedness in our lives by moderating overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

A leading clinical ethicist shares his experiences dealing with the most complicated of clinical situations and discusses how clinicians can overcome the challenges inherent in patient communication.

The former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group — the largest medical group in America — shares his thoughts on both the admirable and dangerous aspects of physician culture and his vision for improving American healthcare.

A journalist-turned-physician and the mind behind popular TV show House, M.D. shares her passion for approaching medical mysteries as detective work.

An actress, playwright, and patient of co-host Dr. Tyler Johnson shares her experiences receiving a terminal diagnosis and how she has grappled with grief and found hope through the creation of a play about her illness journey.

An essayist opens up about her experiences confronting the financial and personal costs of health care, having lived it both as a patient and a caregiver.

The founding medical director of Stanford’s Palliative Care Services shares how the death of a close friend propelled her to pursue a career often filled with grief and loss — and despite that, how she helps her patients create moments of profound meaning.

An acclaimed physician writer and medieval historian shares stories that illustrate how “slow medicine” — medicine that is relational, personal, and perhaps even spiritual — can often be the key to better healing.

The Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program at Yale Medicine shares how she overcame years of gender discrimination and how she now advocates equity in academic medicine.

A former dean of Stanford Medical School and leading pediatric oncologist discusses what caring for seriously ill children has taught him about courage and why he maintains a curious and scholarly habit of mind.

Physician and bestselling author Abraham Verghese discusses the transformative power of the human touch in shaping the bond between doctors and patients.

An infectious disease specialist and retired Air Force colonel shares poignant stories from the early days of the HIV epidemic and from his service as a flight surgeon.

A leader in hospice and palliative care shares how viewing death as a normal part of human living can help patients create meaning at the end of life, and what all clinicians can learn from palliative care about good doctoring.

An intensivist and poet discusses—among other subjects—serving marginalized communities, medical miracles, making sacred spaces in the ICU, and motherhood in medicine.

A healthcare leadership coach discusses how she helps physicians rediscover and reconnect with their life’s purpose.

An ICU physician, writer, theologian, and religious historian shares his unusual path to medicine and how his spirituality helps him connect with patients of all backgrounds.

The dean of Stanford Medical School discusses his path from physician-scientist to healthcare leader and what success as a leader means to him.

An obstetric anesthesiologist reflects on how his hispanic heritage and the history of medicine shape his connection with patients.