In an interview with Medscape’s Dr. Eric J. Topol, editor in chief, Dr Atul Gawande discusses his journey from medical school to working in the Clinton administration to being a journalist. Dr. Gawande is currently a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health and a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
In comparing surgeons with politicians, Gawande said, “Surgeons are grappling with having limited information and knowledge, imperfect science, but have a necessity to act in the face of both imperfection in their own abilities and imperfect knowledge in the world. I saw a lot of the same incredible range of characters and people [in politics and the operating room].” Dr. Gawande concluded that this is a fascinating time in medicine because “we’re all trying to figure out how to make systems work instead of just using drugs and devices.”