Joining me on the Born To Talk Radio Show Podcast is Dr. Allen Saxon.

Since retiring as a general surgeon, Dr. Allen Saxon has had time to pursue two of his passions—creative writing and medical education. A graduate of Tulane Medical School, he has experienced the value of safety net hospitals to society first-hand.  This includes both indigent populations and to those learning the art of medicine.

Allen currently teaches at two medical schools: Northwestern University and Rosalind Franklin University. He lives in the Chicago area. His novella, The Climber of Pointe du Hoc, was published in 2024. A captivating story of love and heroism set against the Allied invasion of Europe. Based on historical research and intended to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

His new book is a novel called Training in Charity.

The setting of his novel, Charity Hospital in New Orleans, opened shortly after the establishment of New York City’s Bellevue in 1736.  It is the second oldest public hospital in the country.  Told with humor and empathy, Training in Charity captures what it meant to begin a life in medicine before computers and technology softened the edges.  This was a time when skill was learned by doing.  Compassion was earned at the bedside.  The making of a doctor was as raw and real as the city that held him

Allen trained at Charity in real life. The education he received there gave him a chance to learn and perform procedures in a way students cannot today. The art of taking histories and performing physical exams was learned on actual patients.  As opposed to actors hired as simulated patients or mannequins. Patient encounters were not scripted as they often are today.  Examinations revealed pathologic physical findings which are mostly absent in staged encounters.

But more importantly it provided opportunities to understand patients’ socioeconomic backgrounds that were very different from their own and to develop human connections with the wide variety of people represented by the patient population and hospital staff.

“The education for medical students has changed over the years but at its core it remains an endeavor centered on the care of the patient.  Becoming a doctor involves a transformative path in which students become healers by focusing on their patients’ needs as they apply the skills of medical science.”

It is clear that Allen has a passion for medicine and also making the difference in the lives of the patients he cares for and the students that learn from all of his experiences.

Thank you Allen for sharing your story with us.

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