The Present Illness: A general internist’s perspective on the afflictions of American health care

Dr. Martin Shapiro graduated in medicine from McGill University, completed internal medicine residency at McGill and UCLA, then completed a Clinical Scholars fellowship at UCLA where he also obtained a PhD in History and a Master's in Public Health. He joined the UCLA faculty in GIM, eventually serving 25 years as GIM division chief there, moving to Weill Cornell in 2017. Much of his research has concerned access to care and health disparities, with a particular focus on HIV for many years. 

Since moving to New York, Dr. Shapiro has worked on his forthcoming book (The Present Illness, Health Care and Its Ailments), which is being published by Johns Hopkins University Press in January, 2023. This book examines the role of commodification, consciousness (meaning values, attitudes, expectations, capacities), and communication in impeding the transformation of American health care into a system that is humane, just, efficient and effective.