We are The Nocturnists, a San Francisco-based independent medical storytelling community. Since 2016, we’ve produced over a dozen live storytelling shows in the Bay Area and New York City, four seasons of our podcast, and two special audio diary series: "Stories from a Pandemic" and "Black Voices in Healthcare." Welcome to our community.
129 Available Episodes (129 Total)Average duration: 00:34:55
Apr 20, 2023
The Impossible Decision
00:40:40
Medical student Oak Sonfist brings us inside their vivid dream about the Lost City of Atlantis – and the impossible decisions they face as they navigate between two worlds.
Actor-turned-otolaryngologist Alessa Colaianni has no problem acting sad—it’s actually feeling sad that’s the problem. In this episode, Alessa tells the story of losing and regaining access to her emotional landscape.
Primary care doctor Tseganesh Selameab brings us inside her practice as a provider for immigrants and refugees, and describes one of the most common ailments she sees: “homelonging.”
Medical student and classically-trained cellist Melanie Ambler describes her most memorable concert, which took place over Zoom with only one other person in attendance.
Emergency medicine and helicopter flight physician Mike Abernethy recounts an unexpected run-in at his local Walmart that made him feel as if he’d seen a ghost.
OB/GYN Jackie Howitt and pediatrician Gretchen Volk bring us into the deserted airport where they first met in April 2020 on their way to offer COVID-19 relief in NYC. Though their friendship began at one of the most disorienting moments in their lives, the coincidences that followed made the connection feel almost fated.
Trailer: Season 5 - Stories from the World of Medicine
00:01:13
On March 9th, join The Nocturnists for our newest season of "Stories from the World of Medicine," featuring original stories from frontline clinicians.
Feb 23, 2023
Conversations: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
00:40:02
In today’s episode, Emily speaks with author Dolen Perkins-Valdez about her recent novel Take My Hand, based on the 1973 case of the Relf sisters who were forcibly sterilized at a federally-funded health clinic in Montgomery, Alabama.
Conversations: Jake Broder, Lucy Davenport & Bruce Miller, MD
00:34:46
In this live panel at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Emily sits down with playwright Jake Broder, actor Lucy Davenport, and neurologist Bruce Miller to discuss Broder’s play UnRavelled, which explores the fascinating relationship between dementia, art, and music.