Atul Gawande: Being Mortal

Atul Gawande is a renowned cancer surgeon and writer, based out of the Boston area. He gained fame for his previous book, The Checklist Manifesto, and recently published The New York Times bestseller, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. This book looks at medicine as it improves life and stretches life as far as it can go, at the macro level, and even at the micro level, how cancer affected Atul Gawande’s own family when his father (also a cancer surgeon) was diagnosed. This is an intense but gripping read, forcing us to consider our own mortality in addition to that of our loved ones. This book forces us to think about mortality less as being kept alive, but rather living on our own terms.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Gawande when he stopped by Portland on his book tour. We chatted about family structures and palliative care in Asian countries and the US, and how these public and private spaces regard our elderly.

This interview was featured on APA Compass for KBOO Community Radio’s mini membership drive. Check out the podcast!

Air Date: 12/5/2014: