The Art of Doctoring with Bolster, Liebowitz, and Seo
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You're listening to The Nocturnist Conversations. I'm Emily Silverman. What makes a truly great doctor? Is it clinical reasoning, a can-do attitude, or something more intangible, like empathy, humility, and the ability to listen? In an era of AI-driven diagnostics and increasingly fragmented care, the art of medicine remains deeply human, shaped by relationships between doctors and patients and mentors and trainees. Today, I'm joined by Dr. Marci Bolster, Dr. Jason Leibowitz, and Dr. Philip Seo, three rheumatologists and educators who set out to explore this very question in their new anthology, A Masterclass in Medicine, Lessons from the Experts. The book is a collection of essays written by some of the most revered clinicians in medicine, many of whom are Marcy, Jason, and Philip's personal heroes.
Through personal storytelling, these physicians reflect on the defining moments of their careers, the lessons learned from mistakes, the challenges of uncertainty, and the enduring power of medical humanism. In my conversation with Marcy, Jason, and Philip, we talk about how they came up with the idea for the book, how they selected the master clinicians featured in its pages, the role of mentorship in shaping great doctors, how learning from failure fosters growth, the evolving challenges of modern medicine, and the essential qualities that define true clinical excellence. If you've ever wondered what separates a good doctor from a great one, this episode is for you. But first, take a listen to Jason reading an excerpt from their anthology, A Masterclass in Medicine, Lessons from the Experts.
In 1891, Luke Fields completed his painting The Doctor, a work that is considered to be one of the most significant depictions of the practice of medicine in the annals of art history. In this painting, a young girl appears pale and listless as she lies with one arm draped over the side of her bed, her eyes closed and her body still as she languishes from illness. In the background, her parents despair. The mother sits with her head buried deep in her arms, hands clasped together in a sign of prayer. Her father stands with his palm on his wife's shoulder while he looks expectantly toward his daughter and the man sitting next to her. The seated man is a physician. He leans toward the girl with hand on chin, wearing a look on his face that is a mixture of intense contemplation and consternation.
The artist has illuminated the figures of both the girl and the doctor, clearly drawing the viewer's attention to these two individuals and making them appear almost celestial. The painting is frequently shown to medical students, and one would be forgiven for thinking that it was based on real-life events in which a brilliant doctor is able to solve his patient's medical mystery and provide a cure. However, the true story is much more complex and surprising. Fields was inspired by his own family's tragedy in which his one-year-old son, Philip, died of typhoid fever on Christmas morning in 1877. The son had been visited by a doctor as he lay dying, and although the physician could not save Philip's life, Fields was moved by the compassion and worry that the doctor displayed on behalf of the young boy.
As you will read in the chapters of this book, medicine is not always about finding the right answer or providing a specific treatment that resolves a medical condition. Instead, the practice of medicine is so often about the development of a deep and meaningful relationship between two individuals, a bond that is multifaceted and frequently evolves over time. Doctors often meet patients and their families in times of great need, and through the combination of empathy, cooperation, and a willingness to truly listen, they seek to provide the emotional and spiritual support that is as much a part of a person's health and well-being as is their response to a particular medication.
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