Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Clinical Professor of Medicine
NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Stough Lecture: “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear”

Despite modern medicine’s infatuation with high-tech gadgetry, the single most powerful tool in the medical armamentarium is the doctor-patient conversation. This deceptively simple tool can achieve the lion’s share of diagnosis and a surprising amount of the treatment. However, what patients say and what doctors hear (and vice versa) are often two vastly different things. Dr. Ofri’s presentation will examine whether refocusing the doctor-patient conversation can actually lead to better outcomes.

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, is one of the foremost voices in the medical world today, shining an unflinching light on the realities of healthcare and speaking passionately about the doctor-patient relationship. She writes about medicine and the doctor-patient connection for the New York Times, Slate Magazine, and other publications.

Danielle is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, the first literary journal to arise from a medical setting. She is the author of a collection of books about the world of medicine. Dr. Ofri has given TED talks on “Deconstructing Perfection” and “Fear: A Necessary Emotion”, and has also performed stories for the Moth. She is featured in the upcoming documentary: “Why Doctors Write.”

In lieu of going to the gym, she spends most evenings wrestling with the Bach cello suites, routinely bested by a guy who’s been dead for 270 years. She strives for a serene, uncluttered life of Zen, but has three teenagers instead. https://danielleofri.com/

About the Stough Lectureship: The Stough Lectureship recognizes an individual with vision and a demonstrated passion for education. Established in 2019, the Stough Lecture honors ISHRS Co-founder Dow Stough, MD, who in the early 1990’s recognized that the fractured, chaotic, and often secretive world of hair restoration needed an anchor. The founding of the ISHRS in 1993 brought order to chaos, turned competitors into colleagues, and created an educational organization that has changed the face and improved the outcomes of hair restoration throughout the world. A very well respected dermatologist from Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA, Dr. Stough was one of the earliest proponents of follicular unit transplantation and natural looking hairlines, and his focus on innovation and teaching is evidenced by Dow being the youngest President, Program Chair, Golden Follicle Award winner, and Manfred Lucas Award winner in ISHRS history. He is a true leader and his contagious enthusiasm has inspired and motivated many hair transplant surgeons. His knack for encouraging colleagues – newcomers and old-timers alike – to get involved, share knowledge, and ask questions, is perhaps his greatest legacy.