Doctors who write—or writers who practice medicine—are part of a long and illustrious lineage that includes Anton Chekhov, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, John Keats, W. Somerset Maugham, Oliver Sacks, and others. What is it about the art and science of medicine and writing that make them complements?

Panelists tackling this question include Dr. Chris Adrian, a fellow in pediatric hematology / oncology at University of California–San Francisco who also holds a masters of divinity; Dr. Rafael Campo, who practices internal medicine, heads up the medical humanities program at Harvard University, and teaches in the Lesley University Creative Writing MFA Program; and Dr. Perri Klass, a professor of journalism and pediatrics at New York University and the medical director of Reach Out and Read, a national literacy organization. These three writer-MDs consider how the pursuit and practice of medicine produce a wealth of worldly experience for the expressive outlet of the written word.

For more information and tickets, go to the Chicago Humanities Festival website.