Despite advances in medicine, issues in women's health are still often mired in stigma, shame, misinformation, and disparities in access and societal standards. In this episode, we are joined by Jen Gunter, MD, who is perhaps the most well-known and outspoken gynecologist in the world. She has made it her life's work to dispel potentially dangerous myths about women's health and, more broadly, the wellness industry. Dr. Gunter is the author of The Preemie Primer, The Vagina Bible, Menopause Manifesto, and the upcoming book Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation. She is also a columnist on women's health at the New York Times and the host of the podcast Body Stuff. Over the course of our conversation, we discuss her work as an early pioneer in chronic pain medicine and vulvovaginal disorders, how experiencing a challenging childbirth led her to write her first book, the various spars she's had with celebrities over medical misinformation, the importance of discussing uncomfortable topics such as sex with patients candidly, and how she builds trust with her patients.In this episode, we discuss:2:20 - An early accident that led Dr. Gunter to pursue a career in medicine 5:02 - Dr. Gunter’s experience as a woman in medicine8:13 - What led Dr. Gunter to specialize in the intersection of pain medicine and women’s health 11:37 - How Dr. Gunter validates her patient’s experiences16:19 - The unique ways in which OB/GYNs are “fluent” in both medical and surgical management21:24 - The very challenging childbirth experience that led Dr. Gunter to write her first book, The Preemie Primer26:38 - The ways in which doctors need to strive to do a better job communicating medical information with patients31:07 - The growth of Dr. Gunter’s media presence since she began sharing her writing publicly in the early days of Twitter36:34 - How coming of age as a doctor during the early years of the HIV epidemic made Dr. Gunter committed to normalizing conversations about sex with patients41:18 - Dr. Gunter’s advice for dealing with misinformation on a daily basisFollow Dr. Gunter on Twitter/X @DrJenGunter.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 2023

In many ways, emergency rooms are the frontlines of health care, serving as the initial point of contact for people experiencing sudden and severe health problems or accidents. In other ways, emergency rooms are the last line of defense, serving as a critical catch-all for vulnerable populations who have nowhere else to go. How can doctors reconcile the tension between the desire to help others with the frustrating inability to address the many systemic causes of health problems encountered in the ER—homelessness, mental illness, domestic violence, substance use disorder, and more? Here to explore this question is Michele Harper, MD, an emergency room physician and New York Times bestselling author of the memoir The Beauty in Breaking, in which she shares her journey from an abusive childhood home to working in busy ERs. Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Harper discusses the unique challenges she faces as a black female doctor, how healing from her own trauma was key to connecting with her patients, and how the issues she encounters in the ER are a reflection of broader societal ills. As a content warning, this episode contains discussions of domestic violence and sexual assault, which may be uncomfortable for those who have experienced trauma or are otherwise sensitive to these topics.In this episode, we discuss:2:42 - How Dr. Harper’s experiences growing up in an abusive household drew her to a career in emergency medicine12:40 - The limitations ER doctors face in managing the underlying causes of the health problems they encounter17:38 - The importance of fighting for health equity and what that entails27:41 - What the individual clinician can do to advance health equity in the US31:44 - Contending with the reality of race- and gender-based discrimination within hospital systems38:58 - Connecting with your “calling” when making career decisions 44:23 - The importance of healing yourself in order to better show up for your patientsIn this episode, we discussed Thich Nhat Hanh’s Living Buddha, Living Christ.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 2023

When we gaze at the stars and wonder at our place amid the expanse of the universe, or when we witness the birth of a child and marvel at the miracle of existence itself, or when we listen to music that seems to touch our soul — there are moments in life when we feel a transcendent connection to things larger than ourselves. But how are we to make sense of these experiences in the age of science? In perhaps our most meditative episode yet, we speak with Alan Lightman, PhD, a theoretical physicist and humanist who holds a unique vantage point on topics fundamental to our existence: time, space, matter, and human consciousness. Dr. Lightman is Professor of the Practice of the Humanities at MIT, the author of numerous novels and books on science and philosophy, and the creator and subject of the 2023 PBS documentary series Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science. Over the course of our conversation, we discuss where our sense of awe comes from, the role of spirituality in a materialist world, whether or not human consciousness will ever be understood on a physical basis, the interplay of faith and reason in modern scientific practice, and more.In this episode, we discuss:3:58 - How Dr. Lightman found himself at the intersection of physics and creative writing 5:46 - The ways in which physics is the most “philosophical” science 9:13 - The definitions of ‘materialists’ and ‘vitalists’11:56 - How Dr. Lightman conceptualizes his position as a ‘Spiritual Materialist’ 16:07 - Contending with materialism despite awe-inspiring, transcendental experiences 22:30 - Whether or not Dr. Lightman considers himself a ‘reductionist’ 25:28 - Where our sense of awe and appreciation of beauty come from32:17 - The role of faith in scientific pursuits34:20 - Finding meaning in a materialist worldIn this episode, we discuss Bertrand Russel’s Free Man’s Worship.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 2023

Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological disease among young adults. It's a disease in which the body's immune system begins attacking the protective covering around nerve cells, leading to a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from vision problems to difficulty walking fatigue to dizziness to speech problems. Our guest on this episode, neurologist Stephen Hauser, MD, has led research that has been key to developing our understanding of this disease, and his work has resulted in treatments that have helped hundreds of thousands of people. Dr. Hauser is a director of the Weill Institute for Neurosciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of the memoir The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: the Education of a Doctor. Over the course of our conversation, we discuss not only his groundbreaking scientific work, but also reflect on how clinicians can help patients heal even when there are no medical therapies available, as well as how neurological disorders affect our sense of personhood and meaning in life.In this episode, we discuss:2:07 - The childhood experiences that drew Dr. Hauser to a career in medicine, and specifically to neurology 8:15 - The ways in which practicing medicine was “simpler” 50 years ago9:53 - Why Dr. Hauser chose to focus his career on multiple sclerosis 13:58 - Advancements in multiple sclerosis treatment over the course of Dr. Hauser’s career15:37 - The importance of developing deep relationships with patients, even when curative treatments don’t yet exist19:45 - The unique challenge that arises when neurological diseases affect a person’s central identity 25:49 - The enduring power of love that transcends the loss of a patient’s cognitive identity 31:50 - The biggest lessons that Dr. Hauser have learned from his courageous patients35:10 - Dr. Hauser’s perspective on “failure” when treating patients 39:30 - Dr. Hauser’s hopes for the next generation of doctor scientists 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 2023

According to emergency physician Leana Wen, MD, MS, "public health saved your life today, you just don't know it." Having been appointed the Baltimore City Health Commissioner at the age of 31, she certainly has the credentials and stories to illustrate this assertion. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health played a frequently misunderstood and under-appreciated role in our society, ranging from sanitation and immunization to mental health support and pollution control. In addition to her public health work, Dr. Wen is the author of the 2021 memoir Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health. She is a regular contributor to The Washington Post, a medical analyst for CNN, professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, former president of Planned Parenthood, and in 2019 was named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People. In this episode, Dr. Wen not only unpacks what public health is, but also shares her challenging upbringing as a child of immigrants, how she became the health commissioner of a city she had not previously worked or lived in, lessons on decision making in a crisis, the importance of finding good mentors, and more. In this episode, you will hear about:2:08 - Dr. Wen’s childhood as an immigrant to the US and her early experiences as a patient6:34 - Why Dr. Wen decided to train as an emergency medicine physician and how she got into public health9:27 - The ways in which emergency medicine training prepared Dr. Wen for a career in public heath13:34 - Dr. Wen’s objectives as she entered the role of Baltimore City Health Commissioner17:05 - Balancing priorities when confronted with the complexities of public health21:50 - Navigating public health policy within our challenging political climate 26:16 - The importance of telling success stories in public health to spread awareness of its importance28:24 - Dr. Wen’s advice on what to look for in a good mentor32:15 - What ties together the many experiences Dr. Wen has had throughout her career Dr. Leana Wen is also the co-author of When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnosis and Unnecessary Tests(2014).Follow Dr. Wen on Twitter @DrLeanaWen.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 2023

Storytelling is the oldest medical technology — so claims our guests on this episode, Laurel Braitman, PhD, an acclaimed author and Writer-in-Residence at Stanford School of Medicine. Laurel offers a uniquely qualified perspective on the matter, having grown up in a medical family and now mentoring clinicians everywhere to help them fulfill their writing goals. She received her doctorate in History and Anthropology of Science from MIT, and her most recent work is a 2023 memoir titled What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love. Over the course of our conversation, we explore the challenges Laurel has faced on her journey as an author, how creative writing can lead to better doctoring, and how we can find the courage to discover our own identities in the face of expectations others have of us.In this episode, you will hear about:What it means to be Writer-in-Residence at Stanford Medical School - 2:06Why physicians write and how storytelling can help clinicians - 6:42How Laurel’s writing career began and her advice for how to break into the writing world - 14:43What it's like to be in the medical field as an “embedded outsider” - 23:15Laurel’s most recent book What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love, which details her experience of growing up with parents with high expectations and struggling through the grief of her father’s death - 28:15The importance of carving out time to reflect on your journey and your ‘why’ in the medical profession - 36:54Laurel’s advice for healthcare professionals who want to take the first step towards writing - 44:55All are welcome to join Laurel’s Writing Medicine workshops, a pay-what-you-can public resource for healthcare professionals. Visit www.LaurelBraitman.com or www.WritingMedicine.org for more details.Laurel Braitman is the author of several books, articles, and essays. You can find more at her website www.LaurelBraitman.comVisit 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 2023

When professor of English literature Theresa Brown, PhD, BSN, RN decided to become an oncology nurse, she suddenly found herself juggling seemingly-impossible patient expectations. And when she later was diagnosed with breast cancer herself, she was forced to confront the paradoxes of a healthcare system that demands so much of its practitioners yet provides insufficient support for them. She recounts these revelations in her recent book, Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Theresa is also the author of several bestselling books detailing her experiences helping patients through some of the most devastating moments in their lives. Over the course of our conversation, Theresa shares her unusual journey to nursing, the daily struggles she encounters caring for the sickest patients in the hospital, and what her experiences as a cancer patient have taught her about finding solace in the midst of our imperfect healthcare system.In this episode, you will hear about:Theresa’s path from English professor to oncology nurse - 2:07What “whole person care” means to Theresa - 5:54A day in the life of an oncology nurse - 11:26How Theresa managed the emotional stress of working with seriously ill patients in such a prolonged and often intimate way - 18:47The high risk of moral injury in the nursing profession - 34:34Theresa’s experiences when the tables were turned and she became a cancer patient herself - 38:53Theresa’s practical advice for leading with kindness with patients - 44:43Theresa Brown is the author of several books about her experiences in nursing, including: The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives (2016) and Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between(2011).You can follow Theresa Brown, RN on Twitter @TheresaBrown.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 2023

Despite the optimism of modern healthcare promising ever more miraculous cures, there are inevitably moments in medicine that compel us to face the fact that not all problems can be fixed. Recognizing the limits of medicine and navigating the space between what can be done and what should be done for a patient requires a fundamental shift in mindset, one imbued with an understanding that sometimes acceptance is the most compassionate response. Our guest on this episode, palliative care physician Sunita Puri, MD, has dedicated her life to probing this delicate space, uncovering wisdom along the way on what it means to live and die with purpose and dignity. She is the author of the 2019 memoir That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, and her writings have often appeared in The New York Times. In this conversation, we explore how she discovered palliative medicine, the importance of language in medicine's most difficult moments, and how impermanence and grief help us make meaning out of a world that often seems chaotic and senseless.In this episode, you will hear about:How Dr. Puri’s relationship with her parents drew her into medicine - 2:46The inspirational way that Dr. Puri’s physician mother connected with patients - 4:49Dr. Puri’s experiences entering the field of palliative care - 10:56Reflections on what Dr. Puri needed to “unlearn” over the course of her career as a physician - 15:36The recognition that not all diseases can be cured and not all problems can be fixed - 21:37Advice on how to engage patients and families when further curative medical interventions are futile - 32:29Dr. Puri’s experiences on helping other doctors through difficult moments - 38:56Why Dr. Puri writes and how she came to write her book That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour - 43:43Grief, empathy, and the sacred mission of medicine - 49:24In addition to her memoir That Good Night, we also discussed her New York Times article "We Must Learn to Look at Grief Even When We Want to Run Away."You can follow Dr. Sunita Puri on Twitter @SunitaPuriMD.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 2023

As a medical student, former college quarterback David Fajgenbaum, MD was at the peak of his health and physique when he suddenly came down with a mysterious disease that, within weeks, led to multiple organ system failure. Dr. Fajgenbaum found himself on the brink of death over and over again in the intensive care unit, at one point receiving his last rites, with all of his doctors baffled about the cause of his illness. When the culprit was eventually found to be Castleman Disease, a rare disease entity that to this day defies categorization, he took matters into his own hands, researching and testing treatments on himself before finally discovering his own cure. Today, Dr. Fajgenbaum is not only the co-founder of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, but is leading efforts to discover therapies for other rare diseases. He is the author of the 2019 memoir Chasing My Cure. In this riveting conversation, Dr. Fajgenbaum shares his incredible, inspiring story to turn hope into action.In this episode, you will hear about:How the loss of his mother to cancer led Dr. Fajgenbaum to pursue a career in medicine - 2:13The rapid deterioration from peak physical health to multiple organ system failure that struck Dr. Fajgenbaum - 6:04Dr. Fajgenbaum reflects on the terror of his unknown affliction and how he maintained resilience - 12:59How a brief remission gave Dr. Fajgenbaum an opportunity to turn passive hope into action - 21:47How a relapse led to a series of experimental treatments and a realization that his cure might already exist - 24:47How deep research and self-experimentation led to a breakthrough - 36:42Dr. Fajgenbaum’s nonprofit Every Cure and its mission to discover new uses of existing drugs - 42:02How Dr. Fajgenbaum feels when he cares for patients in similar plights to his own prior - 47:03What clinicians can do to comfort patients even when treatment options are limited - 51:37Advice to clinicians and students who are interested in medical research - 53:25Lessons on presence and compassion that Dr. Fajgenbaum has learned from having been both physician and patient - 56:32You can follow Dr. Fajgenbaum on Twitter @DavidFajgenbaum.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 2023

According to our guest on this episode, Gail Gazelle, MD, there has never been a more difficult time to be a doctor. Whether or not you agree with this statement, it's true that clinicians today are expected to see more patients in less time than ever before, spend hours on the electronic medical record, and manage countless administrative and organizational pressures. Dr. Gazelle is a physician coach who specializes in helping doctors build resilience and confidence in order to overcome burnout and rediscover joy in medicine. She is the author of the book Mindful MD: Six Ways Mindfulness Restores Your Autonomy and Cures Healthcare Burnout. Over the course of our conversation, we discussed the psychological and organizational factors that contribute to burnout and what we can do to overcome them.In this episode, you will hear about:What drew Dr. Gazelle into medicine and what eventually led her away from clinical practice - 1:58The differences and similarities between coaching and therapy - 7:22How much of coaching is about helping people change the narratives of their lives - 9:45The kinds of people who seek Dr. Gazelle’s help - 14:18The increasing acceptance of coaching in the healthcare profession - 15:51The extent to which an individual clinician can address burnout - 24:49Reflections on how perfectionism creates overstressed physicians and how to change that - 34:04A discussion of Dr. Gizelle’s book Mindful MD and the six ways mindfulness can help physicians - 40:25In this episode, we discussed the Atul Gawande's 2011 Harvard Medical School commencement address, titled Cowboys and Pit Crews,  later published in the New Yorker. We also discuss the article Does Medicine Overemphasize IQ? by Ezekiel J. Emanuel & Emily Gudbranson, originally published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Gail Gazelle is the author of the book Mindful MD: Six Ways Mindfulness Restores your Autonomy and Cures Healthcare Burnout; you can download a free chapter at GailGazelle.com. She also authored the article The Slow Code: Should Anyone Rush to Its Defense? published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which we discussed in this episode.You can follow Dr. Gazelle on Twitter @GailGazelleMD.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 2023