Reza Manesh - Finding Joy in Medicine

In Finding Joy in Medicine Reza Manesh has crafted a magnificent love song to medicine. Part memoir, part reflection, this short work echoes with the beauty and suspense, the exhilaration and heartbreaks of love itself. And throughout it all, like a bass line, flows the essential wonder and pleasures of learning and teaching. A joy to read.

Lisa Sanders, MD, Yale School of Medicine,

Contributing Writer, New York Times Magazine

The journey from layperson to physician is, in essence, a typical professional transformation of novice to expert. But in this soulful memoir, Reza Manesh makes clear that the journey is about far more than the acquisition of technical expertise. Its about calibrating confidence and humility, about knowing when less is more, about connecting with the right role models and mentors, and about finding sources of satisfaction and joy in the face of frequent tragedy. While the phenomenon of physician burnout is very real, reading Finding Joy in Medicine reminded me of the unique privilege of being a doctor.

Dr. Robert M. Wachter, Professor and Chair, Dept.

of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco,

author of The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm

at the Dawn of Medicines Computer Age

In Finding Joy in Medicine, Reza shares his journey to becoming a renowned physician, beloved teacher, and inspiring mentor to countless students around the world. Filled with moving reflections and pearls of wisdom from Reza and those he has learned from, this book is a master class in humility and humanity. Finding Joy in Medicine should be required reading for everyone practicing or studying medicine.

Dr. Aaron Berkowitz, author of One by One by One:

Making a Small Difference Amid a Billion Problems

A career in medicine is an intense journey filled with emotional juxtapositions. There is tremendous achievement and deep sadness; joy and guilt, boundless elation and crushing fatigue. In Finding Joy in Medicine, Dr. Maneshs glorious ode to this incredible profession, we see and feel his odyssey which in turn helps us come to grips with our own journey. This is a wonderful gift from a remarkable teacher, Dr. Maneshs book will resonate deeply.

Mark Shapiro, MD, Creator and Host,

Explore The Space Podcast

Through humility and humanity, authenticity and vulnerability, Dr. Manesh shares the origin and evolution of his passion for being a consummate and caring clinician and teacher. The insights Reza shares about how he learned to say I dont knowand his ongoing work in the medical community to champion safe spaces to be able to say that at all ages and stages of practicestand to dramatically reshape how medicine embraces growth mindset. His sage wisdom is raw, deeply moving, and gorgeously shared. This book deserves to be required reading, and it is one for the ages.

Avital OGlasser, MD, FACP, FHM,

Associate Professor of Medicine,Oregon Health

& Science University School of Medicine

In this book, Reza Manesh recounts experiences so many of us in medicine have sharedwaywardness, uncertainty, even depression. Yet he finds himself in a position of strength, and he uses that strength to support others, following in the footsteps of his own beloved Aghajoon. His message is that it is not only possible to be both a fallible human and an excellent physician, but further that it is only through acknowledging and learning from our fallibility that we can become excellent. I think readers will find comfort and a challenge in this book, and I highly recommend it.

Elisabeth Askin, MD, author of The Health

Care Handbook: A Clear and Concise Guide

to the United States Health Care System

Clinician-educators are often unknown outside their institutions, but in their institutions they are revered role models. Reza writes passionately about his role models (starting with his grandfather) and how they have shaped him. He talks about the secret sauce for clinician-educator successpassion. The greats love medicine and helping their learners grow. They work hard to improve and their learners benefit. Rezas journey provides readers with an understanding of that passion, with the never-ending help of his beloved Aghajoon.

Robert M. Centor, MD, Professor of Medicine,

University of Alabama School of Medicine

For Aghajoon

Passion is the foundation of life

It gives peace and serenity to our existence

Passion and love are the pillars of this universe and beyond

Without love and passion life is meaningless

Each person lives their life in search of a purpose

Purpose allows protection from the challenges of life

You will find love and passion wherever you step

But you must take the first step

Without love the universe is like a prison

With love you can deflect grief

Without love and passion there is no remedy for misery

Love and passion are the treatment to such misery

Abbas Amiraslani, aka, Aghajoon

Does your face light up?

These were the words of the late author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. She was speaking of the power of putting our love on display for those who matter most in our lives. Thats what theyre looking for, she said. No truer words have ever been spoken.

While scrolling through social media one day, I came across this image Reza posted on his thread. I enlarged the image for a better look. A man with greying hair gazed upward from a sundrenched porch into the camera. Warmth poured from his open expression. His mouth was slightly parted as if preparing to speak loving words of affirmation to whomever had taken the photo. And then there were his eyesbrownish-amber and dancing with light and affection. I would learn that this man was Rezas grandfatheror Aghajoon as he affectionately called him. Quickly, I typed a comment beneath the post: Did you take this photo, Reza?

Mostly, it was a rhetorical question. Something told me that he was the one whod pointed that lens in Aghajoons direction that day. Turns out I was right.

Toni Morrison went on to explain that a loving, approving gaze is where a child first finds their value and belief in self. Just one look at Aghajoon in that faded photo explains much about Dr. Manesh and the passion he brings to medicine. His interactions with his patients, his peers, and the countless learners is an homage to the devotion that enveloped him from his earliest years. The love is on display. His faceand even his voicelights up every single time.

Beyond children, what then does this mean? For patients, it translates to building therapeutic alliances and minimizing fear. For colleagues, it leads to a collaborative and celebratory vibe without competition. But especially, the light that twinkled in Aghajoons face now explodes from Reza into all he teaches. It is this that gives them all unspoken permission to be imperfect and growingand the psychological safety to be vulnerable and evolve together.