Daniel Webb Markwalter, med student
Markwalter is a third-year medical student at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Originally from Virginia, he studied biomedical engineering and chemistry at Bucknell University. It was in his final year there that an English professor encouraged him to write during his medical pursuits. In March of 2015, his first piece, a reflection on his own experience as a patient as well as the modern practice of empathy and compassion titled “In the Hands of Another,” was published in JAMA. He views writing as a method for self-improvement but also hopes to encourage dialogue among health care providers regarding the importance of patient perspectives and narrative medicine.