Commencement Speaker

Atul Gawande, M.A., M.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Surgeon, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute

As a practicing surgeon and an accomplished writer, teacher and speaker, Dr. Atul Gawande offers audiences a unique perspective on the joys and uncertainties that lie at the heart of modern medicine.

Atul received the MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the “genius prize,” in 2006, for the “fresh and unique perspective, clarity, and intuition” in his written work and his “energetic and imaginative” approach to finding practical ways to improve surgical practice.

Atul’s new book, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance, uses the high stakes challenges that he faces as a surgeon to explore the universal struggle to perform well. Through gripping stories of diligence, ingenuity, and what it means to do right, he gives us an inside look at the life of a practicing surgeon and offers unique insights into what it takes to succeed in any area of human endeavor.

Atul’s previous book, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2002 and is published in more than a hundred countries.

Dr. Gawande holds distinguished positions in all of his professional roles.

Issues in Medicine and Healthcare

Dr. Gawande is a unique and important voice on an increasingly difficult and newsworthy subject. Audiences of all kinds are thrilled by his insider’s portrayal of the detective work involved in diagnosis and treatment. Anyone who’s been a patient finds his candid accounts of patient care enlightening. Medical audiences love his eloquent way of reflecting their conflicts and concerns; non-medical audiences appreciate his deep insight into the ethics and performance issues that all professionals face.

Direct and profound, Atul speaks to the most pressing issues in medicine and healthcare today with a voice that is both candid and compelling. His stories and ideas capture the hows and the whys, the conflicts and the mysteries of modern medical practice.