Physician-writer ABRAHAM VERGHESE is the Linda Meir and Joan Lane Professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University and director of PRESENCE, a research center exploring the art and science of human connection. He is the author of the nonfiction books My Own Country and The Tennis Partner. Verghese’s debut novel Cutting for Stone was named as one of Amazon’s “100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.” His most recent novel, The Covenant of Water, was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2023 and one of Audible’s 2023 Best Audiobooks (read by Verghese). Oprah selected The Covenant of Water for her Book Club and optioned the movie rights; it is in production with Netflix. Verghese is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Letters. In 2016, President Obama honored him with a National Humanities Medal.

Photo credit: Christopher Michel