The Nocturnists

Television writer and former ENT surgeon Anthony Chin-Quee speaks about his memoir, I Can't Save You, and his burgeoning career in storytelling for the screen.

Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com

What does the future hold for abortion care? In this final episode of Post-Roe America, we hear from clinicians and advocates at the forefront of …

How has the Dobbs decision impacted medical education? In this episode we talk to trainees and educators about how Dobbs has impacted their lives in the classroom, and explore what we lose when we lose abortion training.

Many physicians have been advocating publicly for reproductive health for decades, but many more have remained silent on the subject of abortion, fearing retribution from the general public and their communities. Today …

Leilah Zahedi-Spung never planned to leave her life behind in Tennessee. But after Roe fell, she found herself having to make an impossible decision about the future of her career. In this episode, we examine how …

Host of STAT First Opinion Podcast, Torie Bosch, interviews family medicine physicians and abortion providers Ali Block and Nikki Zite.

Physicians Alison Block and Nikki Zite knew what they were getting into when they …

After Dobbs, many states in the middle of the country severely restricted abortion – but Kansas stood out as an exception. As a result, a small …

Before the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, there was S.B. 8—a Texas law that prohibited any abortion after 6 weeks, essentially banning it entirely in the state. In this episode, we hear from healthcare workers in and …

We open in Orlando, at a reproductive health conference where many abortion providers were gathered on the day of the Dobbs leak. We follow a few of …

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Dobbs Decision. Overnight, Americans lost the protections on abortion care that Roe vs. Wade had afforded for almost 50 years. Soon afterward, The Nocturnists began …

Psychiatrist Pooja Lakshmin speaks about her book Real Self-Care, which challenges mainstream notions of "self care" and offers a new framework for …

Emily speaks with critical care physician Hannah Wunsch about her book The Autumn Ghost, which tells the story of a polio epidemic in Copenhagen in …

Emily speaks with ophthalmologist-comedian Will Flanary and educator Kristin Flanary (aka Dr. Glaucomflecken and Lady Glaucomflecken) about their …

Emily speaks with cardiologist Eric Topol about his 2019 book Deep Medicine, which explores the potential for AI to enhance medical decision-making, …

In honor of Juneteenth this year, we're re-releasing one of our favorite episodes from our 2020 Black Voices in Healthcare series – Episode 7. "Standout."

Have you ever looked around and realized you were the only one? …

Emily speaks with physician, public health professor, and author Michael Stein about his recent book Me vs. Us: A Health Divided, which explains why the U.S. focuses on individualized health rather than public health, …

Emily speaks with writer and physician Ricardo Nuila about his debut book The People's Hospital, a love letter to Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, …

Emily speaks with writer and philosophy professor Chloé Cooper Jones about her memoir  Easy Beauty, which chronicles her quest to widen perceptions of beauty, motherhood, and disability.

Find show notes, transcript, …

Emily speaks with historian, attorney, and diplomat Philip Zelikow, about the investigative report Lessons from the Covid War, authored by the COVID Crisis Group, which examines the U.S. response to COVID and provides …

The Nocturnists' Emily Silverman tells a story about how medical school satisfied much of her curiosity about the human body—but how some mysteries …

Medical student Katie van Kampen brings us into the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons. The deeper they get into the forest, the more parallels …

Medical student Oak Sonfist brings us inside their vivid dream about the Lost City of Atlantis – and the impossible decisions they face as they navigate between two worlds.

Find show notes, transcript, and more at …

Actor-turned-otolaryngologist Alessa Colaianni has no problem acting sad—it’s actually feeling sad that’s the problem. In this episode, Alessa tells …

Primary care doctor Tseganesh Selameab brings us inside her practice as a provider for immigrants and refugees, and describes one of the most common ailments she sees: “homelonging.”

Find show notes, transcript, and …

Medical student and classically-trained cellist Melanie Ambler describes her most memorable concert, which took place over Zoom with only one other person in attendance.

Find show notes, transcript, and more at …

Hospitalist PJ Lally reflects on a time he got a second chance at life. 

Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.

Emergency medicine and helicopter flight physician Mike Abernethy recounts an unexpected run-in at his local Walmart that made him feel as if he’d seen a ghost.

Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com

OB/GYN Jackie Howitt and pediatrician Gretchen Volk bring us into the deserted airport where they first met in April 2020 on their way to offer …

On March 9th, join The Nocturnists for our newest season of "Stories from the World of Medicine," featuring original stories from frontline clinicians.

In today’s episode, Emily speaks with author Dolen Perkins-Valdez about her recent novel Take My Hand, based on the 1973 case of the Relf sisters who …

In this live panel at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Emily sits down with playwright Jake Broder, actor Lucy Davenport, and neurologist Bruce …

In this episode, Emily speaks with psychiatrist-philosopher Iain McGilchrist about his seminal book The Master and His Emissary, which explores the relationship between our brain’s right and left hemispheres and how …

In this episode, Emily speaks with physician-painter Matthew Wetschler about pushing limits, the tension between presence and absence, and how he’s remained curious in the aftermath of crisis.

Find show notes, …

Emily speaks with physician and author, Dr. Gabor Maté about his latest book, The Myth of Normal, which explores the connections between our …

In this episode, Emily speaks with physician, artist, and author, Shirlene Obuobi about fiction as escapism, and the stories behind her debut novel, On Rotation.

Find show notes, transcript, and more at …

Hi Listeners! Today is Giving Tuesday, and we wanted to take this time to express our gratitude and let you know what’s coming up on The Nocturnists podcast. Thank you for supporting our work in transforming medical …

Over the last nine episodes, we’ve listened to dozens upon dozens of clinicians tell their stories about shame. What have we learned? What can we take away from all of this? And where do we go from here?

Find show …

According to medical culture, a clinician should “fix” illness, not have one – especially not a mental illness. But in reality, mental illness is …

When healthcare workers put on their uniforms to go to work, what other roles, masks, or disguises do they put on as well? The norms and standards of …

1 in 10 physicians will get sued at some point in their career – but physicians rarely discuss this, much less prepare for it. How do we bring litigation, and all the stress and shame associated with it, out of the …

For most clinicians, the idea of harming a patient is a worst nightmare. But in a high-stakes profession, practiced by humans in a dysfunctional system, errors are nearly inevitable. So how do we deal with the shame …

In medical culture, shame is often wielded as a teaching tool. We shame learners for not knowing, for forgetting, for making mistakes. When does this …

On the path to medicine, we’re constantly taking tests: MCAT, shelf exams, step exams, boards, and more. What are these numbers good for? What are they not good for? What is the emotional impact of these tests, and …

We all arrive at the gateway to medicine carrying baggage from our past. We’ve had different hopes, hurts, and childhood arcs. How do these early life experiences guide us toward our careers? And once we “arrive,” how …

Medical culture is filled with impossible ideals: the resident expected to work a 28-hour shift without complaint or error; the surgeon with the …

What is shame? And how does it manifest in medical culture? In this episode, The Nocturnists teams up with two shame experts to investigate these …

A 10-part audio documentary series on The Nocturnists podcast, “Shame in Medicine: The Lost Forest” explores how shame manifests in medical culture.

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In this episode, Emily speaks with pediatrics resident Nina Shevzov-Zebrun about movement, medicine, and the creation of The Ten Tensions Project, which explores core dilemmas of the physician experience through …

In this episode, Emily speaks with physician-author Danielle Ofri about the science of writing, the art of medicine, and the imperative of …

In this episode, Emily speaks with data scientist and author Cathy O’Neil about her book The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation,

In this episode, Emily speaks with documentary filmmaker and journalist David France about his films How to Survive a Pandemic (2022) and How to …

In this special episode, Emily speaks with The Nocturnists’ Executive Producer, family medicine physician and abortion provider, Dr. Alison Block, who recently published an Op-Ed in The New York Times called "Why I …

In this episode, Emily speaks with physician Rupa Marya and political economist Raj Patel about their recent book Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the …

In this episode, Emily speaks with neuroscientist and author Sidarta Ribeiro about his book The Oracle of Night, which investigates the art and science of dreams and the extraordinary power dreams have in shaping our …

In this episode, Emily speaks with poet, physician, and medical ethicist Dr. Laura Kolbe about her poetry collection, Little Pharma, the languages of …

In this episode, Emily speaks with Dr. Wesley Ely about the harms of deep sedation and immobilization in the ICU, and how he's transforming critical care, one patient at a time.

The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU …

In this episode, Emily speaks with cancer biologist and poet Jenny Qi, about her poetry collection "Focal Point," which examines science, disease, …

In today's episode, Emily speaks with Professor Cindy Weinstein and Dr. Bruce Miller, authors of the book Finding the Right Words, which explores literature, grief, and the brain. It tells the story of Cindy’s father, …

In today's episode, Emily speaks with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat about his book The Deep Places, which tells the harrowing story of his …

The American healthcare system is a tapestry of providers, insurers and chargemasters, and often leaves patients with unexpected and crippling bills. That is, if they show up to the hospital at all.

In this episode, …

Physician Tobin Greensweig makes an unannounced visit to a patient’s house to check on him after he leaves the hospital. Recalling stories from his father's community medical practice, he is struck by the constraints on …

Psychiatrist Shaili Jain tells the story of a pivotal experience on a road trip with her father, and how it catalyzed her career as a PTSD specialist.

The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education …

Pediatrician Christina Lee recounts a memorable ambulance ride from residency, in which she helped transport a child from the hospital to hospice.

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Medical student Pablo Romano tells the story of losing his mother to complications of surgery, and how he continues her legacy as a medical student.

The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to …

Internal medicine physician Natasha Spottiswoode reflects on her flying days from Oxford while teaching a green intern how to recognize whether patients are "sick" or "not sick."

The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU …

Internist Ashley McMullen decides to let her hair go natural for the first time in over a decade — a process which serves as a metaphor for …

Interventional Radiologist Bobby Chiong's patient codes on the table during a procedure, prompting a frantic but successful resuscitation. Afterward, …

An improv workshop transforms the way psychiatrist David Elkin approaches a patient on the psych consult service, and catalyzes a philosophical shift …

Alzheimer's disease used to be a rare diagnosis. But today, more than 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's and this number is projected to triple to 14 million over the next forty years.

In this episode, …

The emergency room is a place of intensity—a place of noise and colors and human drama. This is the setting of Dr. Michele Harper's memoir, The …

Do no harm. Thou shalt not kill. Life is sacred and should be protected at all costs, right? But when is life no longer worth living? Who decides? …

In the last few years, the medical profession has been grappling with the problem of gender bias in medicine, with how the symptoms of women are seen as atypical, or worse, are minimized, dismissed or ignored. But where …

It’s been over a year since the first case of COVID-19 appeared in Seattle, and it’s been a long cold lonely winter. But in our series finale, we …

Where did the pandemic become real for you? This has been the most significant global public health crisis in a generation, but we each experienced it through a different set of eyes.

More at thenocturnists.com

The acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but some things are here to stay. How have N-95s, face shields, gowns, gloves and ventilators inserted themselves into our everyday lives?

More at thenocturnists.com

The COVID-19 global health crisis shed light on the immense value of doctors, nurses, public health workers, and research scientists. At the same time, the pandemic has all but obliterated the arts: theater artists, …

We know the pandemic has affected the waking lives of healthcare workers. But what happens after we fall asleep? Does the pandemic haunt us in the shadows too?

More at thenocturnists.com.

One of the hardest things about being healthcare workers going through this pandemic is that we've both experienced and borne witness to moments that …

To some, the pandemic is a distant thing. The deaths of hundreds of thousands can feel unreal and even impossible to comprehend. That is, until COVID hits home.

More at thenocturnists.com

The Nocturnists is back with the second installment of “Stories from a Pandemic”. How have healthcare workers been holding up over the past year? In …

The Nocturnists is proud to announce the second installment of Stories from a Pandemic, which explores what the murky, middle part of the pandemic has been like for healthcare workers.

Tune in Tuesday, June 8, 2021 for …

Emily talks to Dr. Suzanne Koven, author of Letter to a Young Female Physician: Notes from a Medical Life. Dr. Koven graduated from medical school in …

As much as our culture delights in talking about sex, we do not relish discussing the sexually transmitted diseases which sometimes follow. But STDs …

All of us have experienced physical pain at some point in our lives. Yet many of us are unaware of how essential context is to the pain experience. Even today, there is much about pain that remains poorly understood. …

Many of us have had to imagine dreaded scenarios for the death of a loved one with dementia. But few have done so with as much cinematic ingenuity and depth of affection as our next guest. In this episode, Emily talks …

More and more Americans are choosing to die at home in the care of a loved one. But who takes care of the caregiver? In today's episode, Emily talks to Dr. Jessica Zitter, a critical care and palliative care specialist, …

Emily sits down with Danielle Spencer to discuss her book Metagnosis: Revelatory Narratives of Health and Identity which, in identifying and naming the concept of "metagnosis," brings the study of healthcare into …

Our lungs connect us to our innermost selves, the outside world, and each other. In this episode, Emily talks to pulmonologist Dr. Michael Stephen, …

Emily talks to biographer Janice Nimura about her new book, The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women—and Women to Medicine, which examines the complicated and exceptional lives of …

The Nocturnists Holiday Special looks back on a year like no other and celebrates the holiday season with creative contributions from healthcare …

The Nocturnists Holiday Special looks back on a year like no other and celebrates the holiday season with creative contributions from healthcare …

Just Five Minutes tells the story of pediatric critical care physician Cathy Humikowsky’s own cardiac arrest which happened on the same day she gave …

The Nocturnists picks up with Season 3, which was interrupted by the COVID pandemic.

Internal medicine physician David Muller tells a story about a …

The Nocturnists continues with Season 3, which was previously interrupted by the pandemic.

In this episode, family medicine doctor Miriam Sheinbein tells a story about coming to terms with ambivalence surrounding …

The Nocturnists picks up with Season 3, which was interrupted by the COVID pandemic.

Medical student Latha Panchap shares a story about a crisis of confidence on the wards. Latha was the winner of The Nocturnists' …

In this special episode, host Ashley McMullen and executive producer Kimberly Manning discuss the making of the series Black Voices in Healthcare.

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Our series began with reflections on the death of George Floyd, and ends with stories of birth. Even in the midst of tragedy, new life is beginning.

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From the physical exams we conduct to diagnose disease to the reassuring handshakes before a surgical procedure, human touch is fundamental to the …

Have you ever looked around and realized you were the only one? Standing out in the crowd can be hard, but it might just be your superpower.

Host: …

Everyone has a different origin story. This week we hear about all the roads you’ve taken to become who you are.

Host: Ashley McMullen, MD

Executive …

We know the pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color. This week, we hear about how COVID-19 has affected your lives.

Host: …

Our Black hair speaks volumes about our lives, and can be a source of joy or pain.

Host: Ashley McMullen, MD

Executive Producer: Kimberly Manning, MD

Many of us travel far and wide to become healthcare workers. What is home to you?

Host: Ashley McMullen, MD

Executive Producer: Kimberly Manning, MD

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We are so much more than Black pain. This week, we focus on what makes us come alive.

Host: Ashley McMullen, MD

Executive Producer: Kimberly …

In our first episode, we sit with the grief of the event that set this project into motion: the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white …

How does the pandemic end? Does it go out with a bang? Does it fizzle out? What we know for sure is that this story is not over.

In today’s episode you will hear from a pediatric hospitalist, laboratory scientist, …

It takes surprisingly little for the human psyche to come undone. We know that the virus can’t survive when we isolate ourselves, but can we survive …

The mass media portrays us as “healthcare heroes,” or soldiers fighting a battle. For some people this language may ring true, but for others, it …

We’ve been holding our breath for weeks. The future is unclear, but this week, we invite you to exhale and celebrate small wins.

You’ll hear voices …

What have we learned about the sickness caused by coronavirus?

You’ll hear from diarists from Michigan, Maryland, Ontario/Canada, Massachusetts, and …

What’s it like to be a healthcare worker standing on the sidelines during a pandemic?

This week, you’ll hear from diarists from California, North …

This week you discuss ventilator hacks, breathing tubes, search and rescue, and ministries of presence.

You will hear from diarists in New York, …

What have we learned about the virus so far?

In the third episode of our special podcast series on COVID19, you will hear voices of a MICU nurse in San Francisco, an internal medicine resident in New York City, an …

The COVID pandemic arrives in the USA.

In this episode of The Nocturnists: Stories from a Pandemic, you will hear diary entries from healthcare workers from New York, California, Massachusetts, and Indiana, all …

In the first episode of our new series, you share stories of bracing for disaster.

You will hear the voices of a trauma nurse in San Francisco, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor in New York City, a Durable Medical …

Rasha Khoury takes us inside a Doctors Without Borders hospital.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions.

This season of The Nocturnists was made …

Social worker Emmeline Sun has to betray the trust of a client in order to care for him.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions.

This season of The …

On Jeremy Topin's first call night in the ICU, his checklist was not enough.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions.

This episode was made possible …

Hospitalist Abhi Kole tells a story about the ethics—and the art—of blocking patients.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef …

Internal medicine resident Elie Adler tells a story about loving someone with a chronic illness, how that relationship changed when she became a doctor, and how being a doctor affects her relationship.

Illustrations by …

Otolaryngologist Tina Munjal tells a story about learning to be comfortable outside of her comfort zone.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original …

Pediatric hospitalist Monica Stemmle tells a story about her imperfect strategies for coping with feelings on the job.

Warning: this story depicts sick and injured children.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original …

Season 3 of The Nocturnists, hosted by physician Emily Silverman, will be coming soon to your feed.

This season of The Nocturnists was made possible by the California Medical Association. Learn more at cmadocs.org.

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In this live podcast taping, Emily speaks with UCSF geriatrician and author Louise Aronson about her New York Times best-selling book, Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life. Louise opens …

Emily sits down with palliative care doctor BJ Miller and IDEO's Global Editorial Director, Shoshana Berger, to talk about their new book, A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death…

Emily sits down with physician Matt McCarthy, an infectious disease specialist at New York Presbyterian Hospital who researches drug-resistant microbes, to talk about his latest book, Superbugs.

Find show notes, …

Here we share a tapestry of voices that we stitched together from the 38 audio submissions we received for our first storytelling contest on the theme of "Learning." The entries came from 28 institutions, 14 states, and …

Emily sits down with internist and thought leader Dr. Lucy Kalanithi to discuss her late husband's book When Breath Becomes Air and topics such as illness and identity, prognosis and uncertainty, love and suffering, …

After hearing a mentor make an inappropriate joke, medical student Jenny Tiskus grapples with humor’s place in the world of medicine.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music …

Physician Maureen Miller describes how perusing a dusty box of autopsy reports from 1897 helped her embrace her new professional future as a …

Psychiatrist Matthew Hirschtritt turns to lessons from his Jewish upbringing when caring for a patient with severe refractory depression.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music …

Hospitalist Archna Eniasivam describes the time she made a diagnostic error with one of her favorite patients.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music comes from Blue Dot …

Family medicine physician Catherine Forest listens to her one of her classical music idols serenade a dying loved one in the hospital.

According to …

82-year-old retired trauma surgeon Bill Meffert, who cared for wounded soldiers in Vietnam, reflects on that bloody experience and the words of a …

When caring for a young woman with a new brain cancer diagnosis, medicine resident Colleen Farrell comes to grips with her own mortality.

Books …

Hospitalist Peter Barish recounts an intense, intimate moment with a patient.

Learn more about Ladybird here.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions.

Michele DiTomas, a hospice physician who cares for incarcerated men, races against the clock and slashes through bureaucratic tape to help a dying man go home.

Learn more about the U.S. criminal justice system at the …

Emergency medicine physician Joe Sills panics when the patient he has just pronounced dead regains a pulse.

The article mentioned in our …

Season 2 of The Nocturnists, hosted by physician Emily Silverman, launches on Tuesday, March 26th.

Illustrations by Lindsay Mound.

Original theme music by Yosef Munro.

Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. …

Cardiologist Dhruv Kazi recounts the heart-stopping tale of an emergency medical encounter in North Korea.

Illustrations by Stephanie Muscat.

Learn …

Hospital administrator Galen Laserson recounts the time she got an unexpected call in the middle of the night, which prompted her to learn all about the hospital's underbelly and the logistics of death.

Illustrations by 

The electronic medical record and a list of to-dos distract family medicine resident Milana Pebenito from her patient's impending death.

Illustrations by Stephanie Muscat.

Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com…

Hospitalist Meghan O'Brien recounts the frustration of caring for a homeless patient who would rather be on the streets.

Illustrations by Stephanie …

Grant Smith, chief resident in internal medicine at UCSF, recounts the story of his first code blue.

Illustrations by Stephanie Muscat.

Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you!

In the hospital, pediatrician Dana Gal struggles with a young patient who asserts her autonomy in ways that are frustrating, and even dangerous.

Illustrations by Stephanie Muscat.

Learn more and support us at …

Hospitalist Ann Knapp navigates her own doubts and assumptions when her patient, a ninety-year-old man, states he wants to die—today.

Illustrations …

Sirisha Narayana, a hospital medicine physician, discusses her strong identity as a physician, and how it collided with her other identities, until …

Ben Lerman, an emergency medicine physician, describes how his ability to empathize with his patients deteriorated throughout his medical training, and how a chance encounter with a patient outside the hospital helped …

The Nocturnists, hosted by physician Emily Silverman, debuts soon!

Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you!