Articles & Media
A Bellevue Doctor on Trump, Exam Room Conversations and Her New Book
Ofri draws on anecdotes and evidence in her new book, “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear,” to argue that, even as technology advances, conversation between patients and doctors remains the “most potent diagnostic—and therapeutic—tool in medicine.” More
Are We Missing the Most Important Aspect of Health Care?
As the medical industry strives for a virtual world in which diagnoses are made and prescriptions rendered on a smartphone app, Ofri argues that successful conversation is the primary driver of healing. Sadly dialectics remain a longstanding elephant in the office: doctors enter with opinions, patients their own, the ticking clock on the wall in plain view of both parties. More
Book Launch!
You are cordially invited to the book launch for What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear. The launch will take place at two of my favorite bookstores: the Strand and the Upper West Side Barnes & Nobles.  I hope you can join me for one of them. Strand Bookstore Broadway and 12th St, Monday, Feb 6, at … More
Moth Radio Hour
“July First” is the story of my first week of internship at Bellevue Hospital. It was the middle of the night, on the 16-West ward, when I faced the first existential crisis as a doctor. More
The Conversation Placebo
Pain remedies developed by the pharmaceutical industry are only modestly effective, and they have side effects that range from nausea and constipation to addiction and death. What’s often overlooked is that the simple conversation between doctor and patient can be as potent an analgesic as many treatments we prescribe. More
Should Doctors Treat Trump Anxiety?
Doctors deal with side effects all the time—side effects of medications, side effects of diseases, side effects of treatments. But side effects of an election is new territory for us. We can report medication side effects to the FDA, but to whom do we report election side effects? More
Podcast: Listen to the Patient!
Danielle is interviewed by Joe Elia from the New England Journal of Medicine about her new book, “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear.” More
Danielle Ofri’s TED Talk on “Fear: A Necessary Emotion”
Fear is a perfectly human state for a doctor to be in. However, it’s not necessarily the most ideal situation for your patient to be in. Danielle Ofri’s TED talk is a harrowing journey through the intricacies of fear. More
Poetry in Medicine
When I make rounds with medical students and interns, I’ve often tried to sneak in a poem at the end. It’s not always the most well-received bit of medical teaching, More
“The Waiting Room”
The novel, “The Waiting Room,” takes place over the course of a single day, and captures how a doctor and her community of patients navigate the crises of both their inner worlds and the outer world. More
“Healing Words” interview
Danielle Ofri interviewed at the Mayo Clinic about writing, healing, and medicine. More
Booklist review of “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear”
It may sound old-fashioned, but when it comes to encounters between doctors and patients, talk (the medical interview) and touch (the physical exam) trump technology. More
Free Public Lecture in Boston Dec 1
Join Danielle for a free public lecture in Boston about emotions in medicine. More
The Insanity of Recertification
Studying for the boards is like stuffing your face at a hot dog–eating contest: The first few hundred pages are intriguing and tasty; the next few hundred are interesting, but your brain is feeling sluggish. The remaining thousand pages are just confettied sauerkraut delivered by dump-truck onto a comatose slop of neurons. More
Danielle Ofri at the Moth MainStage
Danielle Ofri tells the story of the existential crisis she faced on Day One of being a doctor at Bellevue Hospital. Performed live for the Moth. More
