BONUS | Dr. Ruth: How Can We Stand Up to Loneliness?

What does Dr. Ruth have to say about facing loneliness?

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a legend who broke taboos around talking about sex and relationships. At her core, she cared deeply about human connection. In 2023, she was named the nation’s first honorary Ambassador to Loneliness for the state of New York.

In honor of Dr. Ruth, who passed in July 2024, the Surgeon General offers a remembrance and shares a few nuggets of wisdom she recorded while working on her last book, “The Joy of Connections.”

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at housecalls@hhs.gov with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

Dr. Ruth, Sex Therapist & Author

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer broke stigmas for more than forty years, beginning in the 1980s with her nationally syndicated radio show “Sexually Speaking”. She authored or co-authored forty-six books on many topics and was named New York’s Ambassador to Loneliness, the first such position in the United States. A beloved therapist known to millions as “Dr. Ruth,” she passed away in July 2024.