The Doctor's Art

As the real-life inspiration for and medical consultant to the popular TV show "House, M.D.," journalist-turned-physician Lisa Sanders, MD has played quite the role in elevating the prestige and drama of medical diagnosis. For the past 20 years, Dr. Sanders has written a column in the New York Times titled "Diagnosis," in which she discusses bizarre and fascinating medical cases. In 2019, this column was turned into a Netflix documentary series of the same name. She has garnered much acclaim for presenting the process of diagnosis as a detective story, rather than the rote recall of a set of facts and figures. Dr. Sanders joins us in this episode to speak about her remarkable career path, her work, and how storytelling contributes to patient healing.In this episode, you will hear about:Dr. Sanders’ career prior to medicine as a TV journalist and how it influenced her path as a physician - 1:59Dr. Sanders’ revelation about diagnosis as detective work and how she developed her passion for it - 4:59Being part of the handful of “weirdos” that Yale Medical School admits every year, and combating imposter syndrome - 7:14Dr. Sanders’ reflections on the how money-making impacts physician burnout and how the burden of choice in medical career paths may lead to a sense of disconnect - 12:39Medical diagnosis itself as a kind of healing, allowing patients to contextualize their circumstances within their personal narratives - 18:05Dr. Sanders’ best-practices on communicating with patients - 29:03The methodology of solving and describing medical mysteries - 32:10Challenges and opportunities in eliciting and listening to patient stories - 42:16Dr. Sanders’ hope that the human dimension of medicine does not get displaced by the technical dimension, and why storytelling is integral to patient healing - 46:41Dr. Lisa Sanders is the author of several books, including Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis (2009), andDiagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries (2019)She writes a column for the New York Times called Diagnosis, which can be found archived hereFollow Dr. Sanders on Twitter @LisaSandersmdVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

When actress and playwright Ellen Dunphy — then a robustly-healthy 33-year old — first met co-host Dr. Tyler Johnson in early 2020, they were filming an educational video teaching doctors how to discuss terminal illnesses with patients. Six months later, in a twist of fate, upon receiving a terminal diagnosis of gastric cancer, Ellen learned that Dr. Johnson would be her oncologist — for real this time. In this poignant episode, Ellen candidly shares her experiences from the moment she received her diagnosis to how she has subsequently grappled with grief, and discusses how this has fueled the creation of a play about her cancer journey. This is a rare occasion of conversation and reflection between a dying patient and her doctor on what matters most in medicine.We note with sadness that Ellen passed away peacefully on July 4, 2022, surrounded by people who loved her.In this episode, you will hear about:The circumstances that first brought Ellen and Dr. Johnson together - 1:38Ellen and Tyler’s second meeting, under drastically different yet parallel circumstances - 5:03What it was like for both Ellen and Dr. Johnson at the moment her diagnosis was delivered - 7:24What was surprising to Ellen about going through cancer treatment - 13:24Ellen’s advice to medical professionals in light of her own treatment journey - 16:40Ellen’s reflections on the process of writing her play about receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis - 21:12The meaning of medicine, as seen by Ellen - 27:45Ellen’s advice to all patients on the importance of advocating for oneself - 29:00Ellen’s one-woman play “Imaginary Endings” about facing her cancer diagnosis can be viewed on YouTube.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

Essayist Emily Maloney offers a wholly unique vantage point when it comes to American healthcare. At 19 years old, a suicide attempt landed Emily in the hospital for an extended stay, which then saddled her with a massive 5-figure load of unexpected medical bills. In an attempt to pay off her debt, Emily became an emergency room technician and began working in the very same system that was crippling her financial life. In today’s episode, Emily discusses her experiences as both patient and caregiver, and shares her insights on the true cost – financial and personal – that the flawed US medical system exerts on everyone involved, from patients to physicians.  In this episode, you will hear about:Emily’s motivation for writing her recently published book of essays, “Cost of Living”  - 2:33How finding herself in suffocating medical debt changed Emily’s life  - 10:24Why the true costs of medical interventions are impossible to know under the current system -  18:20What drew Emily into the medical profession despite her negative experiences as a patient - 24:43Emily’s ideas on how healthcare in the US should be reformed - 37:28Emily is the author of the essay collection “Cost of Living”Follow Emily on Twitter @emilyfmaloneyVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

As the founding medical director of Palliative Care Services at Stanford Hospital, Stephanie Harman, MD is no stranger to death and grief. In this episode, she shares the story of how she discovered palliative care through the death of someone close and what it looks like to transform what are often the moments of greatest patient suffering into moments of profound meaning and humanism. In addition to her palliative care work, Dr. Harman is a clinical associate professor of medicine, a co-chair of the Stanford Health Care Ethics Committee, and Associate Chair for the Women in Medicine initiative in Stanford’s Department of Medicine.In this episode, you will hear about: How PBS, zebrafish, and comparative literature influenced Dr. Harman’s decision to enter medicine - 3:08How the death of someone close propelled Dr. Harman into palliative care and informs her philosophical focus on honoring a patient’s values and wishes - 8:09Why Dr. Harman felt drawn to a medical specialty that so often deals with the most painful part of medicine: witnessing patients dying - 15:53How Dr. Harman had to advocate for the legitimacy and dignity of palliative medicine, despite being told it was “a waste of her career” - 19:18How Dr. Harman processes the emotional weight of her chosen field with preventive and supportive measures - 22:20A discussion of how the COVID-19 pandemic has forced public and personal conversations about grief to the forefront - 27:24Dr. Harman’s vision for the future of medicine, and specifically the broader adoption of palliative care services - 33:33Dr. Harman’s advice to new medical professionals and students - 38:49You can follow Dr. Harman on Twitter @Steph_HarmanMDVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

Victoria Sweet, MD is a prize-winning author, medical historian, and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of two bestselling books: “God's Hotel,” which details her time as a doctor in the last almshouse in the United States, and “Slow Medicine,” a memoir that outlines her approach to medicine as both a craft and art. In this episode, Dr. Sweet discusses why she reframes the doctor-patient relationship from one of a mechanic repairing a machine, to one of a gardener tending to her plants. Through vivid stories of her remarkable experiences, she illustrates how combining insights of premodern medicine with advances of modern health care can lead to better healing.In this episode, you will hear about: How the writings of Carl Jung drew Dr. Sweet to medicine - 2:18The story of how a resourceful nurse and a stubborn patient taught Dr. Sweet what it meant to be “a real doctor” - 9:36The origin of the Slow Medicine movement and how it shapes Dr. Sweet’s approach to patient care - 16:19The Philosophy of the Minimum and why examining side effects and placebo groups is critical to delivering the best patient care - 22:03Dr. Sweet’s time at Laguna Honda Hospital, the “last almshouse in the United States”, and what she learned about healing from the slower pace of that hospital - 27:07How studying medieval figures like Hildegard of Bingen influenced Dr. Sweet’s appreciation for premodern medicine and how she pairs it with modern medicine - 33:58Dr. Sweet’s advice for clinicians facing the mounting challenges of the modern corporate medical landscape - 40:02Dr. Sweet is the author of God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine and Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing.Dr. Sweet discusses the influence of Carl Jung’s memoir Memories, Dreams, and ReflectionsVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

Pamela Kunz, MD is the Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers at Yale Medicine. For 19 years, she was at Stanford University, most recently serving as Director of the Stanford Neuroendocrine Tumor Program. But in 2020, Dr. Kunz announced her departure, citing years of gender discrimination, microaggressions, and harassment. In this episode, Dr. Kunz opens up about the challenges she faced, how she overcame them, and how she now taps into a clear-eyed awareness of her values to lead health care settings that empower underrepresented individuals and to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic medicine.In this episode, you will hear about: How Dr. Kunz’s science-filled childhood led her to a career in medicine, and why she took on the daunting task of treating cancer patients - 2:21What it is like to build relationships with patients who have life-limiting cancer diagnoses - 7:25Dr. Kunz’s past struggles working in a toxic environment due to constant disrespect and denigration based on her gender - 12:18How leadership coach Rebecca Merrill (our guest on Episode 7) helped Dr. Kunz realize why she was so unhappy in her work and what she could do about it - 16:15The development of Dr. Kunz as an advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic medicine - 18:48Dr. Kunz’s advice for women and other underrepresented individuals going into medicine on preparing against potential hostility in their chosen careers, and how to create a “tapestry” of mentors - 22:01How Dr. Kunz addresses her own burnout, and how seeing oneself as an advocate can be a tool to self-empowerment - 32:25 The advice Dr. Kunz would give to her past self if she could go back in time - 41:02Dr. Kunz mentions the book “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown as being especially transformational in her journey to overcome challenges in the workplace.Follow Dr. Kunz on Twitter @PamelaKunzMDVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

A former dean of Stanford Medical School and past leader at the National Cancer Institute, Phil Pizzo, MD is as renowned for his groundbreaking research on childhood cancers and immunodeficiency as he is for his promotion of medical education. He is also a tireless scholar who continues pursuing knowledge and purpose deep into what many would consider the retirement years. In this episode, Dr. Pizzo shares what caring for children with some of the most harrowing diseases has taught him about courage, and how his creation of Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute epitomizes his vision for longevity and philosophy of lifelong learning.In this episode, you will hear about: How Dr. Pizzo’s love of learning and objection to the Vietnam War led him to a career in medicine - 2:00Teddy, a “boy in the bubble” whom Dr. Pizzo cared for and who profoundly shaped Dr. Pizzo’s career and life philosophy - 5:54Leaning into the work of treating severe diseases, despite the realities of the deep suffering involved - 14:46The guiding principles behind Dr. Pizzo’s time in leadership at the National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford Medical School - 20:01How Dr. Pizzo manages to maintain tranquility of mind and buoyancy of spirit over his long career, and why he created the Distinguished Careers Institute - 22:51The surprising next step in Dr. Pizzo’s scholarly journey - 30:42Dr. Pizzo’s advice to young people about the value of a habit of lifelong learning - 34:40Read more about Teddy DeVita, the “boy in the bubble” whom Dr. Pizzo cared for, in this Washington Post article.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

Abraham Verghese, MD is a prolific writer and revered physician who has deeply contemplated the philosophical underpinnings of the practice of medicine. He is renowned as an advocate for the importance of bedside examination and physical diagnosis, and his best-selling books probe the intricacies of human connection in the context of healthcare. In this episode, Dr. Verghese discusses how maintaining a literary life has impacted his approach to doctoring, why the human touch still matters for healing in our increasingly digital age, and his vision of the future of medicine.In this episode, you will hear about: How Dr. Verghese’s love of literature influenced his decision to enter medicine  - 2:39Reflections on the challenges of contemporary medicine - 7:51How physical exams can be seen as a ritual for “reading the body like a book” - 10:07Dr. Verghese’s perspective on the future of doctor-patient relationships given the rise of telemedicine and other technologies - 20:36Balancing the need to connect with each patient for their treatment, while being responsible for so many at once - 26:23How the craft of writing relates to medicine for Dr. Verghese - 31:50The counterintuitive diagnostic efficiency of taking the time and care to meet patients where they are at - 35:45Dr. Verghese is the author of three books:My Own Country (1994) - traces the story of young Dr. Verghese in the mid-1980s in Johnson City, Tennessee, who began to treat patients with a then unknown disease, HIV.The Tennis Partner (1999) - Dr. Verghese writes of his experience moving to El Paso in the midst of an unraveling marriage. There, he meets and becomes a mentor to David Smith, a medical resident at the hospital and a brilliant tennis player recovering from drug addiction.Cutting for Stone (2009) - a novel about twin brothers, orphaned by their mother's death in childbirth and forsaken by their father.The book that Dr. Verghese credits as having inspired him to pursue medicine is Of Human Bondage (1915), by William Somerset Maugham - Available for free Follow Dr. Verghese on Twitter @cuttingforstone and visit his website AbrahamVerghese.org.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

Dean Winslow, MD has led an extraordinarily multifaceted career as an infectious disease specialist and former US Air Force colonel. In his pioneering work at the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, he headed one of the first HIV clinics in the country and created HIV treatments and diagnostics still used today. During his multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as a flight surgeon, he commanded field hospitals that treated military personnel and local civilians alike. As a long-time professor of medicine at Stanford, he has been a popular mentor to hundreds of medical professionals. In this episode, with his trademark cheerful and humble demeanor, Dr. Winslow shares the colorful, poignant, and amusing stories he has collected over his decades of service.In this episode, you will hear about: Dr. Winslow’s personal path that led him to medicine and his initial work during the early days of the AIDS epidemic - 2:51How Dr. Winslow manages the emotional burden that comes with treating seriously ill patients with HIV - 20:24Dr. Winslow’s experiences in military medicine and how they have shaped his medical career - 25:31A humorous story on solving a tough infectious disease case through medical detective work - 32:09Dr. Winslow’s advice to medical trainees who may be struggling with burnout, and what improvements should be made to the healthcare system to take pressure off medical professionals - 36:51A narrative essay by Dr. Winslow about his military medical career: Treating the Enemy.Follow Dr. Winslow’s work at StanfordHealthcare.orgVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022

Ira Byock, MD is a leading figure in hospice and palliative medicine, having developed many practices and tools that now define the specialty. For him, this profession is a continual pursuit of balancing the scientific and human aspects of medical care, to address patient well-being in a way that transcends conventional concepts of disease and illness. In this episode, Dr. Byock joins us to discuss how palliative medicine developed into what it is today, how viewing death as a normal part of human living can allow patients to create meaning at the end of life, and what all clinicians can learn from palliative care about good doctoring.In this episode, you will hear about: Dr. Byock’s early work in family and rural medicine and the moral crisis that awakened him to the need for palliative medicine - 1:51Dr. Byock’s experiences in pioneering the nascent field of palliative medicine - 7:53Combating the prevailing notion that medicine is only about treating injuries and curing illnesses - 11:16A story about a dying patient and the extra mile Dr. Byock went for her, which solidified his belief in the power of palliative care - 17:05Reimagining our relationship to death, both from the clinician’s and patient’s perspectives - 24:10The Four Things that Matter Most - 31:19Lessons learned from patients experiencing the end of their lives - 35:52Dr. Byock’s advice to young medical professionals and students - 39:31Connect with Dr. Byock on Twitter @IraByock.Dr. Byock is the author of several books: Dying Well The Four Things that Matter MostThe Best Care PossibleVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022