Laurel Braitman is a best-selling author and teacher who helps physicians, medical students and staff communicate more clearly and vulnerably, for the benefit of themselves and their patients.

Why you should listen

Laurel Braitman wants humans to share their stories — and is dedicated to helping them do so. She is a Senior TED Fellow and the director of writing and storytelling at the Stanford University School of Medicine’s medical humanities and the arts program. In 2020, she founded Writing Medicine, a global community of writing healthcare professionals.

Braitman's writing has appeared everywhere from the New York Times to National Public Radio, and she is the best-selling author of Animal Madness: Inside Their Minds. She recently published a memoir, What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love.

More news and ideas from Laurel Braitman

Live from TEDWomen

Life, love and finding a path: Talks from day 2 of TEDWomen 2023

October 13, 2023

Day 2 of TEDWomen 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia featured an interdisciplinary array of ideas from speakers who are disrupting poverty, creating bold art, restoring Indigenous rights, exploring bioluminescence in nature and much more. The event: Sessions 2 and 3 of TEDWomen 2023, hosted by TEDWomen editorial director Pat Mitchell and activist, filmmaker and entrepreneur Maya […]

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Live from TED2019

“One with each other”: Notes from Session 1 of TED2019 Fellows talks

April 16, 2019

The event: Talks and performances from TED Fellows, celebrating the 10th anniversary of this life-changing, world-changing program. Session 1 is hosted by TED Fellows director Shoham Arad and TED Senior Fellow Jedidah Isler. When and where: Monday, April 15, 2019, 10:30am, at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC. Opening: We begin the day by […]

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