Indian-American physician-author Abraham Verghese, whose work has emphasised empathy in medicine, has been selected for the prestigious 2015 National Humanities Medal.Verghese is known for his emphasis on empathy for patients in an era in which technology often overwhelms the human side of medicine,
US President Barack Obama would confer the honour upon Verghese, along with 11 others, and the recipients of 2015 National Medal of Arts at ceremony on September 21.
Currently a professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine, 61-year-old Verghese has authored several acclaimed books, including “My Own Country” and “Cutting for Stone”. Verghese has been given the award for reminding “us” that the patient is the centre of the medical enterprise.
“Abraham Verghese is not only an exemplary clinician, he is an exemplary humanist,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne.
The National Humanities Medal
- Inaugurated in 1997, the National Humanities Medal honours individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nations understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects, according to the National Endowment for the Humanities website. Up to 12 medals are awarded each year.
