Biography

As a physician and teacher at the oldest public hospital in the United States, and as a writer and literary editor, Dr. Danielle Ofri speaks with unique insight into the practice of medicine in America. She is an attending physician in Bellevue Hospital’s medical clinic, which has been the home of the most extraordinary human stories throughout its long history in the nation’s most diverse and complex city. In her practice and as an Associate Professor of Medicine at New York University, Dr. Ofri has focused on reaching the real humanity of her patients and on teaching young doctors to how to do the same. She is medicine's leading proponent of the power of story — and of literature — to teach healthcare providers and to improve the practice of medicine. With award-winning stories of her experiences as a doctor, she also brings to general audiences first-hand accounts of the joys and challenges of medical practice, rich insights into how the healthcare system works, and poignant reflections on the human condition. She is the author of several acclaimed books on life in medicine and patient care. Her newest book, What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine explores the hidden emotional world of the doctor and its impact on patient care. Her previous books include Medicine in Translation, Incidental Findings and Singular Intimacies. Dr. Ofri's writings have been included in Best American Essays 2005 & 2002, and Best American Science Writing 2003. She received the Missouri Review Editor's Prize for nonfiction, and the McGovern award from the American Medical Writers Association.

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