Beyond Prescriptions: How Physicians Can Help Suffering Patients | Lydia Dugdale & Michael Menchine

In today’s episode, two physicians explore the problem of suffering in medicine. They address questions like: What does it mean to care for those who suffer? And what would it take to restore dignity to every patient interaction?   You’ll hear from Lydia Dugdale, a primary care physician and medical ethicist at Columbia, and Michael Menchine, an emergency care physician and professor at the University of Southern California. In this conversation, they reflect on the role of clinicians in caring for patients, how our healthcare system can better respond to personal suffering, and explore how their religious and nonreligious worldviews help them make sense of suffering.   This forum was held at USC in May 2025. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible. Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.