Lucy Kalanithi

Dr. Lucy Kalanithi is a respected physician and advocate for healthcare reform, with a focus on end-of-life care. She currently serves as a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. After graduating from Yale School of Medicine, she completed her residency at the University of California-San Francisco and a fellowship at Stanford’s Clinical Excellence Research Center, where she focused on improving healthcare delivery and value. Lucy gained international recognition for her work on the memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, written by her late husband, Dr. Paul Kalanithi. The book, a #1 New York Times bestseller, explores his journey as a neurosurgeon and a patient facing a terminal illness. Lucy wrote the touching epilogue, and has since continued to speak publicly about the intersection of medicine and mortality. As a speaker and a member of several leadership boards, including TEDMED, Lucy shares her insights on navigating difficult healthcare conversations and promoting patient-centered care. She has been honored for her contributions to medicine and her compassionate advocacy. Lucy continues to live in the San Francisco Bay Area while her work inspires conversations about living meaningfully in the face of death.