Verghese to Speak at MMA Conference on September 21

April 6, 2023

Bestselling author, champion of the patient-physician relationship, and a prominent voice in medicine, Abraham Verghese, MD, MACP, will be the keynote speaker at an MMA conference on September 21 in downtown Minneapolis. 

His memoirs and novels on medical themes have sold millions of copies, topped bestseller lists, and earned major movie deals, while his New York Times articles arguing for greater focus on the physical patient have made waves in the medical community. His warmth and vision as well as his world-class gifts as a storyteller make him a powerful speaker both to healthcare professionals and the patient in all of us.  

AVerghese-Photo_300ppi.jpg

Abraham Verghese, MD

In addition to being a deep thinker about the future of healthcare, Verghese is a successful author with great popular appeal. His most recent novel, Cutting for Stone, was a runaway hit, topping the New York Times bestseller list for more than two years and earning a movie deal. 

His first book, My Own Country, a memoir about treating AIDS in rural Tennessee, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for 1994 and was made into a movie. His second book, The Tennis Partner, was a New York Times notable book and a national bestseller. His upcoming novel, The Covenant of Water, will be out in May. 

Verghese has served on the faculty of many universities, including the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, where he was the founding director of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians, and was elected to the Association of American Physicians, as well as the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.  

In 2016, Verghese received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama, “for reminding us that the patient is the center of the medical enterprise.”  

Registration for the Annual Conference and Verghese’s talk will open soon, so stay tuned to future issues of News Now for details.

Latest News

State Budget Forecast Shows Short-Term Surplus, Long-Term Deficit

December 4, 2025

On December 4, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released its budget forecast for the 2026-27 biennium, showing a short-term budget surplus of $2.5 billion for the current biennium, but warned of a long-term $2.96 billion deficit for the 2028-29 biennium. 

Vaccine Integrity Project Urges Continuing HBV Vaccinations for Newborns

December 4, 2025

On December 2, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) released a study on the safety, effectiveness, and public health impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccinations at birth.  

Public Comment Period Regarding Insurance Mandates Open Through December 11

December 4, 2025

The Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) is now accepting public comments regarding proposed legislation to mandate insurance coverage of certain treatments.