Join us in-person to hear directly from a physician with insight into treatment, recovery, and the humanity of patients.

Dean-David Schillinger, M.D., is a primary care physician, scientist, author, and public health leader. Dr. Schillinger has served as chief of the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, and chief of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program for the California Department of Public Health. In 2006, he co-founded the UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity.

He is the author of Telltale Hearts, a riveting exploration of the hidden realm of medicine of the public hospital—taking a transformative journey that centers human connection and discovery in order to reveal what is lost when patients’ stories are ignored or overlooked, and how much is gained when these stories are actively elicited and attended to. This book unfolds through several captivating vignettes in which Dr. Schillinger recounts his various experiences with patients by delving deep into their complicated lives and uncovering the numerous factors that influence their medical outcomes. The stories themselves, at times shocking but always revelatory, disclose secrets, prompt awe, forge unexpected connections, and even catalyze public health action. They also tell a larger story of how social and environmental conditions shape health, disease, and recovery. Yet, at their core, each story reveals the profound humanity that emerges when listening is prioritized, demonstrating the powerful alchemy that results when the best of science is blended with authentic narrative.