The social context of medicine is changing - not only the hospitals and managed care organizations, but also the individuals who inhabit this complex system. Living Professionalism uses the power of individual narratives to bring life to the current concerns about professionalism in medicine. Students, teachers, and patients open their lives and reveal the personal and professional struggles they face. These revelations bring back to earth the lofty debate on professionalism, and open this complex world so others can learn from the common, the complex, and the embarrassing moments of students and physicians. This book not only illuminates our understanding of today's care providers, but also provides a text for those healthcare providers who are willing to reflect on their own dilemmas of professionalism.

David Stern, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at the University of Michigan

Compelling narrative that opens the mind and the heart to the human condition is powerful fuel for empathy and action. Therein lies the strength of Living Professionalism.

Arnold P. Gold, MD and Sandra O. Gold, EdD, The Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine

The book...has an outstanding quality: it covers some of the most delicate problems of the medical practice by inviting us to reflect.

Metapsychology Online

A moving and substantial contribution to the literature of medical professionalism, and a welcome reminder of the power of narrative and self-reflection and its influence on the human spirit.

Linda L. Blank, Robert G. Petersdorf Scholar in Residence, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, D.C.