BONUS: The Real Life of Oliver Sacks

Bonus episode! If you're new to Tourette Syndrome, it's fair if you haven't heard the name Oliver Sacks before. But he's one of the most acclaimed figures in all of neuroscience -- arguably in all of medicine, and his humanization of disorders including Tourette had incalculable benefit. In May, Ben got to interview people closely involved with Sacks and the new documentary about his life, "Oliver Sacks: His Own Life." On this bonus episode we have film director Ric Burns; Oliver Sacks Foundation Executive Director and close friend to the late doctor Kate Edgar; photographer Lowell Handler, also a close longtime friend to Sacks; and Tourette Association of America President and CEO Amanda Talty. The panel discusses Sacks' contributions, but also the early difficulties he faced being taken seriously within his own profession, drug use, and his isolating experiences as a gay man. This talk was part of the Tourette Association of America's annual conference in May 2021.