Tending Our Future: Spirituality, Service, and the Art of Healing

Vivek Murthy, MD, served as the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States. His service as the “Nation’s Doctor” has widened the lens through which we understand the forces shaping our health and well-being, particularly the epidemic of loneliness, mental well-being among youth, parents, and in workplaces, and the impact of social media on youth mental health.

Following his tenure as Surgeon General, he founded The Together Project, an  initiative to prioritize social connection and community building in America. As part of this effort, he hosts Staying Human, a podcast and Substack community exploring how we can live truly fulfilling lives—grounded in belonging, joy, and meaning—while grappling with a world where powerful forces, especially technology, are edging out the very qualities that make us human. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. His 2025 Parting Prescription to America, published as his last act as U.S. Surgeon General, lays out his vision for rebuilding community as the key to health, happiness, and fulfillment.  

Dr. Murthy lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Dr. Alice Chen, and their two children. Find out more at his website.

Serena is pursuing a life that remains attentive to the tenderness of a snail’s soft body and reverent to the miracle of its spiraled shell. She is a peacebuilder, writer, and community circulator and works with organizations, networks, and movement leaders at the intersection of intergenerational peacebuilding, collective trauma healing, social justice, and social transformation. She previously served six years as a Special Advisor in Design & Innovation to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, bringing a spiritual and systemic understanding to the public health crisis of loneliness and isolation. Serena serves on the board of Commonweal.