Kimberly Greene-Liebowitz (moderator) is a board-certified emergency physician who has worked in hospitals and urgent care centers throughout metropolitan New York. In the past few years, she has segued to writing, editing and advocacy. She earned her medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine and completed her training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Prior to her career in clinical medicine, Greene-Liebowitz earned a Master of Public Health in epidemiology at The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in biology/biochemistry at Cornell University. She has worked with major healthcare consulting, pharmaceutical and public health organizations, which has given her a broad view of healthcare and the ability to see how its facets interconnect. She is a critical thinker and consults original sources and research to inform her decisions.
Photine Liakos, MD received my undergraduate and medical school degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her orthopaedic surgery residency training at Barnes/Jewish Medical Center in St. Louis and her foot and ankle fellowship at the same institution. Dr. Liakos was in private practice for almost 20 years, including 3 years as the managing director of my orthopaedic group. She received my CPE from the American Association for Physician Leadership in 2015. She has transitioned away from active practice although she still volunteers with a local free clinic.
Dr. Nancy Glass practiced pediatric critical care and pediatric anesthesia and pain medicine for nearly 40 years (most of that time at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston) and added pediatric hospice care to her practice for the last 10 ½ years of her career. She retired from clinical medicine as Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics in 2022. She has been published in Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, The Journal of Narrative Visions, Medicine and Meaning, Medical Literary Messenger, Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine, The Write Launch (X2), in Chicken Soup for the Soul (on Angels and Miracles), Amaranth, the Brevity nonfiction blog, Persimmon Tree, and The Rumen, and has upcoming essays in The Examined Life and the Missouri Review. She won the 2022 Writer’s League of Texas Manuscript Contest in General Nonfiction and was runner-up for the 2024 Perkoff Prize at the Missouri Review. She received her MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in January 2023 and is currently finalizing a collection of pediatric hospice essays.
Jill Grimes, MD, FAAFP, is a nationally recognized medical media expert and award-winning author of The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook: Your Guide for Everything from Hangovers to Homesickness. Young adults know her as the popular TikTok.CollegeDoc, offering straight talk and practical tips about anxieties, injuries, illness, drinking, inking and “all the things”. Dr. Grimes earned her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M, followed by her MD at Baylor College of Medicine. She was an associate editor for the 5-Minute Clinical Consult and has been a clinical instructor for UMASS Medical School since 2000. After over two decades of private practice in family medicine, Dr. Grimes now splits her time between writing, speaking, vaccinating, and seeing patients. Many peers know her from hearing her speak at conferences such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, Pri-Med®, and Harvard Medical School.
Andrea L. Merrill, MD is a dedicated breast surgeon practicing full-time in Charlottesville, VA. Beyond her surgical expertise, Dr. Merrill is a fervent advocate for integrating the arts and humanities into medical practice, believing strongly in their power to enhance both the personal and professional lives of healthcare professionals. A passionate writer, she has contributed essays to prestigious publications such as JAMA, the Huffington Post, the Annals of Surgery, and Intima. She is currently working on a book—a collection of narrative essays that reflect her insights and experiences in medicine. Dr. Merrill also founded the website Scrubbed Out, which highlights the creative pursuits of surgeons beyond the confines of the operating room, showcasing how their artistic endeavors contribute to their professional and personal development. With a commitment to using narrative medicine as a tool for improving patient care and physician well-being, Dr. Merrill brings a unique perspective to the discussion of arts in medicine, making her a valuable participant in any conversation about the intersection of healthcare, writing, and the humanities.
