July 29 2017
by Neel Desai, M.D.
Siddhartha “Sid” Mukherjee is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University in New York City and is a cancer physician and researcher. He has published articles in Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, and Cell.
Dr. Mukherjee is the author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction, and The Laws of Medicine. He is the editor of Best Science Writing 2013. His Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, tells the story of cancer from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the gleaming laboratories of modern research institutions. A three-part documentary series based on the book, directed by Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns, was aired on PBS stations in March 2015. The film interweaves a sweeping historical narrative with intimate stories about contemporary patients and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs.
Dr. Mukherjee has also shared his family’s personal healthcare stories with mental illness, as well as his professional experiences with cancer. He shares his thoughtful, insightful, and compassionate narratives through various creative outlets: books, video documentaries, as well as television interviews. Dr. Mukherjee’s ability to creatively connect with readers, viewers–as well as the medical and general public–has earned him our Medical Artist of the Week.
For more information and resources, check out the following:
PBS interview with Dr. Mukherjee discussing the history & future of genetics and his latest book, The Gene: An Intimate History
Dr. Sid Mukherjee addresses John Hopkins School of Medicine Class of 2016 graduating class:
Bill Gates talks to Dr. Sid Mukherjee about The Gene: An Intimate History
March 2015 TED Talk featuring Dr. Mukherjee: Soon We’ll Cure Diseases With a Cell, Not a Pill
