The Nocturnists

The Nocturnists Stories from the world of medicine.

๐๐ž๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‹๐ข๐ฌ๐š ๐‘๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐›๐š๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐Œ๐ƒ Cardiologist Dr. Lisa Rosenbaum tells the story of how her grandfatherโ€”a phy...
06/12/2026

๐๐ž๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‹๐ข๐ฌ๐š ๐‘๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐›๐š๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐Œ๐ƒ
Cardiologist Dr. Lisa Rosenbaum tells the story of how her grandfatherโ€”a physician-writer whose experience as a patient transformed his view of medicineโ€”influenced her sense of purpose, storytelling, and care. As she navigated her own path through medicine and writing, she became increasingly interested in the cultural narratives shaping physiciansโ€™ experiences, particularly during the COVID-19 era. Drawing on a viral โ€œMilk Dudsโ€ story and broader shifts in burnout discourse, she explores the tension between systemic failures and individual agency, arguing that meaning in medicine can sometimes come not from stepping back, but from choosing deeper engagement with patients. To listen to this episode, visit the link in our bio or find us on your favorite podcast app!

๐‹๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐Œ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐Š๐š๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ž๐ž ๐†๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ง In this crossover episode with , Kaylee Glenn of the Day By Day Project shares how a ...
06/05/2026

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐Œ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐Š๐š๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ž๐ž ๐†๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ง
In this crossover episode with , Kaylee Glenn of the Day By Day Project shares how a childhood moment playing violin in a memory care facility inspired her to create a music-focused nonprofit for people living with dementia.
To listen to this episode, visit the link in our bio or find us on your favorite podcast app!

Thank you to for supporting this episode.

๐‹๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐๐ž๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐’๐ฎ๐ฌ๐š๐ง ๐–๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐๐š๐ฎ๐ž๐ซ ๐Œ.๐ƒ๐ˆ๐•., ๐๐ก๐ƒ Historian Susan Wise Bauer tells the story of how, across ce...
05/29/2026

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐๐ž๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐’๐ฎ๐ฌ๐š๐ง ๐–๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐๐š๐ฎ๐ž๐ซ ๐Œ.๐ƒ๐ˆ๐•., ๐๐ก๐ƒ
Historian Susan Wise Bauer tells the story of how, across centuriesโ€”from ancient civilizations to modern medicineโ€”humans have tried to make sense of illness through evolving frameworks, from divine punishment to bodily imbalance to germs. Drawing on historical accounts and cultural analysis, she explores how fear, suffering, and uncertainty shape not only medical knowledge but also trust in authority and social behaviorsโ€”and ultimately shows that our present-day struggles with medicine and trust are not new, but part of a long, repeating human story.
To listen to this episode, visit the link in our bio or find us on your favorite podcast app!

๐‹๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

05/21/2026

๐๐ž๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐„๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐š ๐Œ๐š๐œ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ๐ซ๐ž, ๐Œ๐ƒ
Dr. Erika MacIntyre reflects on her path into critical care and chronic ventilation medicine, as well as the mounting pressures she faced during COVID-19โ€”including professional strain, loss of personal outlets, and family challenges. Seeking change, she and her family embarked on an ambitious sailing journey across the Atlantic, navigating both physical and emotional challenges while living simply and disconnected from modern conveniences.

Erika originally performed this story at a live storytelling event produced UCSF Institute of Global Health Sciences as a part of our Satellites Storytelling program.

To listen to this episode, visit the link in our bio or find us on your favorite podcast app!

๐‹๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

๐‘๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐™๐จ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ ๐‚๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐Œ๐ƒ In this episode, pediatric intensivist Dr. Chris Carroll tells the story of an ...
05/11/2026

๐‘๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐™๐จ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ ๐‚๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐Œ๐ƒ
In this episode, pediatric intensivist Dr. Chris Carroll tells the story of an unexpected consult: a young gorilla named Kevin, critically ill with Shigella sepsis during an outbreak at the Jacksonville Zoo. What begins as a strange crossover between human and veterinary medicine becomes something deeper as Chris works alongside veterinarians trying to save Kevinโ€™s life. In the process, he is struck not only by the similarities between caring for sick children and sick animals, but by the reverence and tenderness the veterinary team brings to their work. We talk about pediatric ICU medicine, the human-animal boundary, grief across species, and what doctors might learn from veterinarians about compassion.

Chris originally performed this story at a live storytelling event produced by CHEST as a part of our Satellites Storytelling program.

To listen to this episode, visit the link in our bio or find us on your favorite podcast app!

๐‹๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

๐๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐’๐จ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐Œ๐š๐๐ซ๐ข๐ณ, ๐Œ๐€, ๐Œ๐’ Solange Madriz, a public health professional at UCSF, reflects on her w...
05/01/2026

๐๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐’๐จ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐Œ๐š๐๐ซ๐ข๐ณ, ๐Œ๐€, ๐Œ๐’
Solange Madriz, a public health professional at UCSF, reflects on her work training birth attendants and clinicians in rural Guatemala to respond to maternal emergencies through low-cost simulation. For years, she helped others prepare for postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia, and other life-threatening complications of childbirth. Then, after the birth of her own first child during the pandemic, she developed severe postpartum preeclampsia and found herself on the other side of the hospital bed. In our conversation, Solange talks about public health, maternal health, the limits of knowledge when your own body is in crisis, and how her own medical experience changed the way she thinks about her work.

Solange originally performed this story at a live storytelling event produced UCSF Institute of Global Health Sciences as a part of our Satellites Storytelling program.

To listen to this episode, visit the link in our bio or find us on your favorite podcast app!

๐‹๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

In this episode, infectious disease physician and global health leader Dr. mike Reid reflects on a moment early in his c...
04/23/2026

In this episode, infectious disease physician and global health leader Dr. mike Reid reflects on a moment early in his career working in Botswana, when a young patient died in front of him despite his efforts to help. The experience brought back a memory from childhood, when he first heard his father quietly describe himself as a failure. In a field where the needs often far exceed the available resources, mike explores how physicians learn to live with doubt, responsibility, and the persistent feeling of not doing enough. Together we talk about the emotional landscape of global health, the role of failure in medicine, and what it means to keep trying anyway.

mike originally performed this story at a live storytelling event produced UCSF Institute of Global Health Sciences as a part of our Satellites Storytelling program.

Looking for more from The Nocturnists? Explore The Nocturnists+, our subscriber-only feed featuring The Nocturnists After Hoursโ€”a monthly series where host Emily Silverman is joined by executive producer Dr. Ali Block for more informal, open conversations about medicine, culture, and their own lived experiences. Subscriptions start at just $10/mo and include exclusive discounts on our new merch. Learn more or subscribe at thenocturnists.org/plus.

๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐š๐ฒ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ข ๐Œ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ, ๐ƒ๐Ž While navigating a painful period in her personal life, ICU physician Nikki Mittal ...
04/16/2026

๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐š๐ฒ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ข ๐Œ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ, ๐ƒ๐Ž
While navigating a painful period in her personal life, ICU physician Nikki Mittal cares for a patient with severe brain injury whose family is preparing to withdraw life support. After a difficult earlier interaction that leaves her questioning herself, the family gathers on the day of withdrawal and unexpectedly asks to pray for her. In that moment, the usual direction of care shiftsโ€”the doctor who came to support the family finds herself receiving comfort and reassurance from them instead.

To listen to this episode visit the link in our bio.

Tiffany Chan shares how her journey from a small-town family optometry practice to high-intensity academic medicine at J...
01/08/2026

Tiffany Chan shares how her journey from a small-town family optometry practice to high-intensity academic medicine at Johns Hopkins was transformed when her mother suffered a major brain bleed, drawing her back home to care for her family. Ultimately, her motherโ€™s recovery, later passing, and the deep relationships her parents built with their patients helped Tiffany realize that the meaningful, community-rooted life she truly valued was in Grass Valley, where she now continues the family practice and honors her motherโ€™s legacy.

To listen to this episode visit the link in our bio.

The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association .
This episode of Conversations is sponsored by The Physician's Foundation and our friends at Unleashed: Redesigning Health Care.

๐€ ๐’๐จ๐Ÿ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐‹๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐…๐ซ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ๐ข๐œ๐ค, ๐ƒ๐Ž Physician and writer Francis Southwick tells a deeply personal story abo...
12/19/2025

๐€ ๐’๐จ๐Ÿ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐‹๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐…๐ซ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ๐ข๐œ๐ค, ๐ƒ๐Ž
Physician and writer Francis Southwick tells a deeply personal story about love and illness. Growing up q***r in rural Colorado, Francis experiences mysterious episodes of sudden paralysis triggered by intense emotion, beginning in adolescence and persisting for decades without a diagnosis. After years of shame, misattribution, and near-abandonment of dreams, Francis falls in love with Judith, builds a life with her, and finally receives a diagnosis of type 1 narcolepsy with cataplexyโ€”explaining why moments of beauty, joy, and love literally caused collapse.

To listen to this episode visit the link in our bio.

The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association .
This episode of Conversations is sponsored by The Physician's Foundation and our friends at Unleashed: Redesigning Health Care.

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