Can We All Become Healers?

Rachel Naomi Remen and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

In this incredible conversation, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, makes a “House Call” at Commonweal New School—to talk with one of his long-time mentors and friends, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen. As Dr. Murthy says, “In an increasingly complex world, knowing ourselves and finding ways to express love is what this episode of House Calls is all about.”

Listen (audio only)

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Vivek Murthy, MD

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.

Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

Rachel is a Professor of Family Medicine at Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine and the Founder and Founding Director of the Remen Institute for the Study of Health and Illness (RISHI), which was at Commonweal for decades and is currently at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. She is one of the best known of the early pioneers of wholistic and integrative medicine. As a medical educator, therapist, and teacher, she has enabled many thousands of physicians to find individual meaning and purpose in the practice of medicine and thousands of patients to remember their power to heal. More than 30,000 medical students have completed The Healer’s Art, her groundbreaking curriculum for medical students taught at the majority of medical schools in America. A master storyteller and observer of life, her bestselling books, Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings have sold more than 2 million copies and have been translated into 21 languages. Rachel has had Crohn’s disease for more than 65 years and her work is a unique blend of the wisdom, strength, and viewpoints of both doctor and patient.