aged, and Susan Block of the Dana Farber Cancer
Institutenotonlydidthesamefortheworldofpalliative
andhospicecarebutalso letmebecomeherpartnerin
researchintohowwemightmaketheinsightsdescribed
herepartofthefabricofcarewhereweworkandbeyond
it.
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard
School of Public Health have given me an incredible
homeformyworkformorethanadecade andahalf.
AndmyteamatAriadneLabs,thejointinnovationcenter
that I lead, has made mixing surgery, health systems
research,andwritingnotonlyfeasiblebutalsoajoy.This
bookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheparticular
efforts of Khaleel Seecharan, Katie Hurley, Kristina
Vitek,TanyaPalit,JenniferNadelson,BillBerry,Arnie
Epstein,ChipMoore,andMichaelZinner.DaliaLittman
helpedwithfact-checking.And,mostindispensably,the
brilliantandunfazableAmiKarlagespentthelastthree
yearsworkingonthisbookwithmeasresearchassistant,
storyboardartist,manuscript organizer,soundingboard,
and supplier, when necessary, of Bourbon Brambles.
TheNew Yorkermagazine hasbeenmy othercreative
home.Icountmyselfasunfairlyluckynotonlytohave
gottentowriteforthatamazingpublication(thankyou,
DavidRemnick)butalsoto havehadasmyeditorand
friendthegreatHenryFinder.Hesawmethroughwriting
the two essays for the magazine that became the
foundationofthisbookandguidedmetomanypivotal
additionalideas.(Hewas,forinstance,theonewhotold
me to read Josiah Royce.)