Eyes & Ears
Good Movies, Books, Listens, and Surfs
Read
The Deadly Dinner Party & Other Medical Detective StorieS
By Jonathan A. Edlow, MD
In "Dinner-Table Discoveries", we explore the importance and lasting impact of mentoring. We certainly hope no one suffered the same symptoms after any of those Stanford alum-led gatherings as the subjects in the title story from this collection of 15 entertaining medical mysteries. Rich with details and smartly paced, each case is presented as a puzzle to be solved. But caution: Danger ahead!
Short White Coat: Lessons From Patients on Becoming a Doctor
By James Feinstein, MD
Life lessons abound in this series of essays written during the author's third year of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Feinstein's account is vulnerable and honest, with his missteps often teaching him more about patient care than his textbooks ever could.
New for Aspiring Doctors, The People Skills Test
By Gardiner Harris for The New York Times
Charles Prober, featured in "Building the [Perfect] Stanford Class", was also interviewed for this front page New York Times story that appeared July 10, 2011. The article examines what's to be learned from the Multiple Mini Interview in the medical school admissions process. The story is available at nytimes.com.
Bioethics Around the Globe
By Catherine Myser, PhD, PD '94
Though it started as a discipline in the United States approximately 40 years ago, bioethics has rapidly spread worldwide. It continues to grow and evolve, mixing elements of philosophy, law, humanities, social sciences, and of course, medicine. In this book, Myser gathers commentary from experts in a range of fields to tell the back story of how bioethics has become what it is today. As editor of this collection, Myser manages to deftly pull all the pieces together in an informative and provocative read. Dr. Myser is an associate professor and director of Ethics, Social Medicine and Global Health Programs at Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine.
Heal Your Brain: How the New Neuropsychiatry Can Help You Go from Better to Well
By David J. Hellerstein, MD '80
In an ambitious departure from the "old psychiatry," this book presents a practical look, experimenting with different methods for dealing with anxiety and depression. Instead of focusing on early events in a patient's life, Hellerstein's New Neuropsychiatry directs the energy toward improving the here and now, while attempting to achieve long-term remission of symptoms. He's got some proof that it works, too. The success stories of people moving through the various stages of new neuropsychiatry may indeed spark hope in patients who have found traditional treatment ineffective. Hellerstein is an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The Man Who Lived in an Eggcup: A Memoir of Triumph and Self-Destruction
By John Gamel, MD '71
What's left when the diagnosis has been made, the treatments administered, the prognosis shared? People. Real people whose lives have been permanently reshaped and redirected. With straightforward and gripping prose, Gamel shares personal stories from settings that include Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and Stanford Hospital & Clinics. While specific, and often graphic, descriptions of medical crises are presented in this collection of essays, readers won't be able to shake Gamel's writing because of his ability to connect with the emotional impact felt by these patients. Today, Gamel is a professor emeritus in the Department of Ophthamology and Visual Sciences at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Learn more about his writing at jwgamel.com.
Watch
Body of Proof
TV
Another medical drama? Yep. But this one might be worth your while. Dana Delany is the anchor of the show as Megan Hunt, a former neurosurgeon turned medical examiner. After a car accident leaves Dr. Hunt with numbness in her hands, she is forced to abandon her career in the operating room and turn to examining dead bodies for clues. Jeri Ryan co-stars as Kate Murphy, the first female chief medical examiner in Philadelphia's history. Murphy is tasked with keeping Hunt in line while relying on her expertise and observational skills. Body of Proof airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Surf
StorytellERdoc
Blog
Winner of the Best Medical Weblog Award for 2009 and 2010, StorytellERdoc is written anonymously by an emergency room physician with 16 years of experience. With a captivating attention to detail and lively voice, the writer shares stories that range from the hospital staff arguing over who would be primary nurse for the hunky, tattooed patient just admitted, to a quiet moment shared with a case worker after the doctor delivers some difficult news. Check out this engaging, ongoing read at storytellerdoc.blogspot.com.
Send us your ideas If you've written a book or produced a Web site, please contact us so we can include it here. If you would like to recommend a book, movie, or Web site you think fellow alumni would enjoy, we'd like to know about that as well. Send us an e-mail or call 650.234.0650.