We are honored to welcome Dr. Michael R. Berman, MD, MBI, FACOG, to our Winter School, December 14-19, 2026, Online – “Bioethics in a New World Order” – where he will present “WHEN WE CANNOT CURE: THOUGHTS ON ULTIMATE CHALLENGE TO THE BOND OF PATIENT WITH DOCTOR.”
ABSTRACT
The physicians of the Hippocratic era called medicine “The Art.” They knew that the care of their fellows was an act of creativity. They also recognized that each patient and his or her physician form a bond that is unique unto itself. That bond is the foundation upon which healing takes place. The bond’s formation and maintenance is the fundamental aspect of “The Art,” no less a creative act than is healing itself. It goes beyond the notion of mere empathy and sometimes comes very near to being a form of love.” (Sherwin Nuland in Parenthood Lost)
In the 21st Century, despite the exponential availability of new technologies, there exists a paradox that such technologies succeed only for some. We as physicians have been granted by oath and by ethic the privilege to examine and treat, to counsel and advise our fellow human beings while using these technologies, but we must recognize and heal those ‘unspeakable’ losses evident when medicine and technology can longer treat and the physician can longer cure. This presentation and discussion will explore the challenges that we in the health professions encounter daily and suggestions on how a patient-centric, humanistic approach to the care of all patients can promote healing when we cannot cure.
BIO
Dr. Michael R. Berman received his Doctor of Medicine from New York Medical College and his Master’s in Biomedical Informatics from Oregon Health and Science University. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine.
He is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science and Associate Dean for Quality and Patient Safety for Graduate Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chief Quality Officer and Ombuds at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
He founded the Hygeia Foundation for Perinatal Loss and Bereavement (now Hope After Loss) and is the author of _Parenthood Lost: Healing the Pain After Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Death_, as well as numerous poems and essays on the human condition.
His areas of interest include Just Culture, adverse event disclosure, second victim support, physician communication, patient experience, and healthcare disparities.
