The PRH Speakers Bureau represents several medical doctors who speak out and inspire change in their communities. These medical practitioners, viral experts, pediatricians, cardiologists, and more are the first line of defense in safeguarding our public health, and their wise, stirring words empower audiences of all kinds to advocate for a healthy, prosperous society.
Dr. Sheri Fink
Pulitzer Prize-winning medical journalist and author of Five Days at Memorial, M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford
Dr. Sheri Fink is a Pulitzer Prize-winning medical journalist and the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Five Days at Memorial, which was named one of the ten best books of 2013 by The New York Times. In recent weeks, Dr. Fink has been at the forefront of reporting for The New York Times on how the medical community is struggling to handle the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Fink brings both expert knowledge and intimate understanding to her writing and lectures, and draws in audiences by raising awareness about current issues around health care reform, justice, and liability.
Dr. Mona Hanna
Physician, scientist and activist who exposed the Flint water crisis
Named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People,” Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the pediatrician who risked everything to reveal the lead in the blood of Flint, Michigan’s children, bringing the nation’s attention to a crisis that continues to this day. Dr. Mona has been vocal in recent weeks about her own positive coronavirus diagnosis, attempting to spread awareness and education about the disease while self-isolating. Her powerful book, What the Eyes Don’t See, is a dramatic first-hand account of the environmental disaster that is the Flint water crisis. In talks that draw on her experience as a physician and her work with Flint’s children, Dr. Mona urges audiences to speak out about injustice to safeguard their communities.
Dr. Matt McCarthy
Physicial, researcher, ethics professor, and superbug expert
Dr. Matt McCarthy is an infectious disease doctor and an expert in superbugs. He is on faculty at Weill Cornell at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and is on the front line of the hospital response. In his educational talks, Dr. McCarthy offers insights into the ethical lapses in medical research and provides his medical knowledge on superbugs and what we as a society can learn from global superbug outbreaks. His international bestseller, Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic, is a fascinating and informative narrative about microbes, antibiotics, and the cutting-edge science to find new treatments for superbugs.
Private: Dr. W. Lee Warren
Neurosurgeon, Iraq War veteran, and author of I’ve Seen the End of You
Dr. W. Lee Warren is a brain surgeon, writer, and Iraq War veteran. His memoir, I’ve Seen the End of You: A Neurosurgeon’s Look at Faith, Doubt, and the Things We Think We Know, offers a glimpse into the physician’s perpetual struggle of maintaining hope while treating patients when he knows they will most likely not survive. Dr. Warren’s compelling lectures have inspired religious, corporate, and academic audiences, and range from discussions of the intersection of faith and science, creativity as a form of wellness, and the effects of negative and positive thinking on the brain and body.
Cara Natterson, M.D.
Pediatrician, consultant, and leading expert on puberty and adolescent health
Dr. Cara Natterson is a pediatrician, consultant, and New York Times-bestselling author of several health and parenting books, including the popular children’s book The Care and Keeping of You. Her newest book, Decoding Boys: New Science Behind the Subtle Art of Raising Sons, covers the complexities of young male adolescence and provides a roadmap for raising young boys in this modern era. In the past few weeks, Dr. Natterson has been releasing frequent email newsletters relating to the coronavirus, including the latest news on the pandemic and how parents and children alike can cope during this time. In her informative presentations, Dr. Natterson talks to educators, corporations, parents, and students about modern puberty, parenting, parent-child communication, bodily autonomy, and living healthfully.
Howard Markel, M.D.
Medical historian, M.D., journalist, and award-winning author
Dr. Howard Markel is the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. He is also a professor of psychiatry, public health, history, and pediatrics. An acclaimed social and cultural historian of medicine, Dr. Markel brings to audiences a fascinating historical perspective. His book, When Germs Travel, looks at several major epidemics throughout history and examines the way our public health system responded to each.
Pauline Chen, M.D.
New York Times columnist and physician, author of Final Exam
A respected surgeon, Dr. Pauline Chen is passionate about improving health care and, particularly, end-of-life (palliative) patient care. Dr. Chen is currently working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Through her practice as a transplant surgeon and her experiences of dealing with terminally ill patients, Dr. Chen wrote Final Exam, a reflection on how doctors must approach the concept of mortality with empathy and humanity. She puts her practice to print in her popular New York Times blog as she examines the relationship between doctor and patient. Her moving lectures, much like her book, convey a larger medical message by weaving together descriptive stories of her patients.
Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
Cardiologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Zoobiquity
Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz is a cardiologist and the co-author of the bestselling book Zoobiquity, which presents a revelatory understanding of what animals can teach us about the human body and mind while redefining the boundaries of medicine. Studying a diverse range of animals in natural settings, she has uncovered evolved adaptations with relevance to heart failure, sudden cardiac death, seizures, dementia, movement disorders, infertility and psychiatric conditions including anxiety, compulsive and eating disorders. A personal and provocative speaker, Dr. Natterson-Horowitz’s lectures are filled with captivating case studies.
Dr. Dana Suskind
Pediatric physician and author of Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain and Parent Nation
Dr. Dana Suskind is a pediatric physician, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, and the founder and director of the Thirty Million Words® Initiative. Her work as a pediatric cochlear implant surgeon led her on a journey to discover that differences in early language experiences caused learning disparities. In developing the Thirty Million Words® (TMW) research program in 2010, Dr. Suskind has enabled parents, caregivers, practitioners, and researchers to impact foundational brain development and address early cognitive disparities which have been found to have lifelong effects particularly among children born into poverty. Dr. Suskind’s lectures stress the importance of early language exposure for developing children and draw on her own experiences with patients and neuroscience research.