Dr. Abraham Verghese is a highly accomplished and respected figure in the medical field, currently serving as the Vice Chair for the Practice and Theory of Medicine and a Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Born to Indian parents in Ethiopia, he completed his medical training there before moving to the United States for his residency. He has had a distinguished career in medicine, including a fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine and a position as an assistant professor of medicine in Johnson City, Tennessee.
It was during his time in Tennessee that Dr. Verghese witnessed the early signs of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and saw the impact of the disease on rural communities. This experience had a profound impact on him and formed the basis for his first book, "My Own Country: A Doctor's Story," which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and was later made into a movie. In addition to his work in medicine, Dr. Verghese is an accomplished writer and has had his work published in numerous publications, including The New Yorker and The New York Times. He has also taught at the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa and has received honorary degrees from five universities.
Dr. Verghese is a strong advocate for humanism in medicine and has been recognized for his efforts with numerous awards and accolades. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in 2016. His writing, both fiction and non-fiction, reflects his belief in the importance of bedside skills and the humanistic aspects of medicine. He has coined the term "iPatient" to describe the phenomenon of the virtual patient becoming the focus of attention at the expense of the real patient, and is a vocal critic of the potential negative consequences of new technologies in medicine. His latest novel, "The Covenant of Water," is set to be published by Grove Press in May 2023.