Abraham Verghese, MD, is a nationally best-selling author and a prominent voice in medicine with a uniquely humanistic view of the future of health care. His memoirs and novels on medical themes have sold millions of copies, topped best-seller lists, and earned major movie deals, while his New York Times articles arguing for greater focus on the physical patient have made waves in the medical community. His warmth and vision as well as his world-class gifts as a storyteller make him a powerful speaker both to health care professionals and the patient in all of us.
Dr. Verghese sees a future for health care which marries technological innovation with the traditional doctor-patient relationship. He has a deep understanding of the new tools being placed in doctors’ and patients’ hands, but he also has a deep faith in the human hand itself as one of the most powerful tools in a doctor’s kit. He grounds his vision of technological progress in a humanistic commitment to listening to the patient’s story and providing what the patient most wants — a true caregiver. This dual-pronged approach, incorporating both an appreciation of tech developments and a profound commitment to the relationship between doctor and patient, makes Dr. Verghese a leading voice in the discussion about what quality care means now and in the future.
In addition to being a deep thinker about the future of health care, Dr. Verghese is a phenomenally successful author with tremendous popular appeal. His most recent novel, Cutting for Stone, was a runaway hit, topping the New York Times best-seller list for over two years and earning a movie deal.
Dr. Verghese has served on the faculty of many universities, including the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, where he was the founding director of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians, and was elected to the Association of American Physicians, as well as the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.