What does it take for a patient to truly trust a physician? Dr. Adam Cifu talks with Dr. Alex Lickerman, a former University of Chicago internist and nationally recognized speaker on resilience, about the human side of medicine. An author of both fiction and nonfiction, Lickerman discusses how his book, The Undefeated Mind, grew out of a framework drawn from Buddhist philosophy and supported by psychological research. Writing the book taught him valuable lessons about fostering resilience, which he now applies in his medical practice. Together, they explore why empathy requires understanding patients beyond their diagnoses, how honest conversations build trust, and what physicians can learn from role models about being authentic, especially when delivering difficult news.

An article about osteopenia went viral, much to Dr. Mary Braun Bates's surprise. What started as an effort to give patients clearer medical information helped shape her approach to writing. Dr. Adam Cifu talks with Dr. Bates about Doctoring Unpacked, where she blends medical explanations with fictionalized patient stories. They explore how writing can make physicians more attentive to patients' experiences, why philosophy and literature matter in medicine, and how to understand patient decisions that may seem puzzling. They also tackle a deceptively difficult question: How does a doctor know they're doing a good job?

Dr. Nathaniel Glasser joins Dr. Adam Cifu to discuss how art, sociology, and medicine have come together throughout his career. They explore how appearance, identity, and social pressures can shape patients’ health behaviors, sometimes in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Dr. Glasser also reflects on what the humanities can teach physicians about relationships and patient care, while emphasizing the importance of testing those insights with rigorous research. The conversation closes with a look at the mentorship and interdisciplinary environment that helped him bring these interests together.