When he was 12 years old, Stanford neurosurgeon Jim Doty, MD, met an unusual woman named Ruth in a magic shop in Lancaster, Calif., …
Category: Physician stories
When Breath Becomes Air: A conversation with Lucy Kalanithi
A few months before he died, I interviewed Paul Kalanithi, MD, for a 1:2:1 podcast about a gorgeous article he wrote for Stanford Medicine entitled …
The making of a scientist — Stanford’s Irv Weissman under the Big Sky
Some people just seem larger than life. That's certainly the case with stem cell scientist Irving Weissman, MD. His presence fills a room whether he's speaking …
Physician-writer Abraham Verghese on ritual, technology and medical training
Listening to Abraham Verghese, MD, is always a treat, so I quickly clicked on a recently published Q&A featuring Verghese in conversation with Steven Stack, …
The ups and downs in my path to dermatology
I went into medical school determined to be an ophthalmologist. A close family friend of mine is a great ophthalmologist and loves his job, which …
This breast cancer is mine: When doctors get sick
As the death last year of neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, MD, reminded us all, successful physicians aren't protected from the onslaught of medical maladies that can …
Paul Kalanithi’s book will probably make you cry
Just over a year ago, I received a first draft of an article for Stanford Medicine magazine that electrified me. It was gorgeous. It was …
A word with Karl Deisseroth
This 1:2:1 podcast features a conversation with optogenetics pioneer, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth.
This 1:2:1 podcast features a conversation with optogenetics pioneer, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth.
Abraham Verghese: “It’s a great time for physician leaders to embrace design thinking”
Next spring, the School of Medicine and Graduate School of Business here will team up to offer a new, one-week residential program for health-care executives. Called …
How to combine anesthesiology, internal medicine and rock climbing
I’ll admit it: I’m in awe of, and a little intimidated by, medical residents. Between the early call times, long hours, and flurry of patients …
Tiger mother, tiger cub: A Stanford doctor reflects on his upbringing
When Amy Chua’s book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” was published in 2011, Jason Nagata, MD, was in medical school at the University of …
Medical students and physicians share their writings on “becoming a real doctor”
The dilemma of being a medical student on clinical rounds who wants to help patients but can’t was captured by third-year student Raymond Deng in …
Abraham Verghese: “There is no panacea for an investment of time at the bedside with students”
As mentioned earlier today, the first-ever Medicine X|ED conference kicks off here tomorrow. Stanford's Abraham Verghese, MD, known as a champion of bedside medicine, is among those …
A nurse becomes a doctor
When I heard that first-year medical student Mariposa Garth-Pelly was a nurse, I had to meet her. I have extensive experience, sadly, with the critical …
An Rx for physician burnout
Burnout, which is characterized by emotional exhaustion, a sense of depersonalization and a lack of a sense of personal accomplishment, is on the rise among …
How two women from different worlds are changing the face of surgery
“I hope you’re not serious about doing something in medicine.” These words are all too familiar to Annete Bongiwe Moyo, a senior medical student at …