Atul Gawande, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; Author, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance; Professor, Harvard Medical School

SPEAKER: Atul Gawande, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; Author, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance; Professor, Harvard Medical School

TITLE: Treating the Medical Profession

Dr. Atul Gawande will offer his controversial take on the medical profession, citing the shortcomings and limitations of his chosen career. Recognized for his skills with both scalpel and pen, Gawande will examine the medical and ethical dilemmas that doctors face every day while balancing the human and scientific dimensions of their work. Describing in detail how medical professionals often make mistakes, Gawande is not afraid to discuss even the most taboo subjects that prevent doctors from providing the highest level of quality medical care.

Gawande is a surgical resident in Boston and a staff writer on medicine and science for The New Yorker. His writing has also appeared in the New Yorker essay collection In Sickness and in Health and in Slate. His first book, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, was a finalist for the National Book Award. He recently published a second, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance.

This program was recorded live on May 1, 2007