Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients

by Danielle Ofri MD

Overview

From a doctor Oliver Sacks has called a “born storyteller,” a riveting account of practicing medicine at a fast-paced urban hospital
 
For two decades, Dr. Danielle Ofri has cared for patients at Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in the country and a crossroads for the world’s cultures. In Medicine in Translation she introduces us, in vivid, moving portraits, to her patients, who have braved language barriers, religious and racial divides, and the emotional and practical difficulties of exile in order to access quality health care. Living and dying in the foreign country we call home, they have much to teach us about the American way, in sickness and in health.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807001264
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	04/12/2011
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine and has cared for patients at New York’s Bellevue Hospital for more than two decades. Writing in the Guardian, Andrew Solomon singled out Ofri as the only woman among an extraordinary new generation of doctor writers, saying, “Ofri has produced four impressive books and numerous articles, all striking for their reversion to empathy, their willingness to sense not only the physical life of a patient, but also the emotional.” Ofri’s books and articles have become academic staples in medical schools, universities and residency programs. She is the editor in chief of the Bellevue Literary Review and writes regularly for the New York Times. Ofri in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Danielle Ofri is a finely gifted writer, a born storyteller as well as a born physician.”—Oliver Sacks, MD, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
 
“A gifted storyteller, Ofri provides vivid details that bring readers right into the exam room with her . . . describing how her patients’ histories stirred her to practice medicine more compassionately, inspired her with their hope and fortitude.”─Sarah Halzack, Washington Post
 
“Danielle Ofri’s new work presents the reader with artfully controlled chaos. . . . Brisk, fast-paced, and organized with an eye both to variety and recurrence.”─Rachel Hadas, Times Literary Supplement
 
“Her writing tumbles forth with color and emotion. She demonstrates an ear for dialogue, a humility about the limits of her medical training, and an extraordinary capacity to be touched by human suffering.”—Jan Gardner, Boston Globe

From the Publisher

A gifted storyteller, Ofri provides vivid details that bring readers right into the exam room with her. From a paraplegic New Zealander to an aging Chinese couple who must make difficult choices about how to treat their degenerative illnesses, these patients' stories are not just poignant; they also give insight into the challenges of obtaining health care as an immigrant in the United States.
—The Washington Post

Sarah Halzack