The Covenant of Water, Stanford University professor Dr Abraham Verghese’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 novel Cutting for Stone, traces the lives of a family in southern India negotiating forces of history, fate, and a genetic condition that takes the life of a member in each generation by drowning. In part 2, JAMA Arts and Medicine Section Editor Michael Berkwits, MD, MSCE, talks with Dr Verghese about the craft of writing fiction, the role of the humanities in medicine, of artificial intelligence in literature, and more.  Related Content:  “The Art of the Craft,” From The Covenant of Water The Covenant of Water – Reflections on Fiction, the Humanities, and Medicine (Part 1 of this interview) 

Physician as Writer:  Abraham Verghese Reflects on the Art of the Craft of Writing Fiction

Interviews with leading researchers and thinkers in health care about practice-changing research, innovations, and the most pressing issues facing medicine and health care today from JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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When initial treatment with varenicline or nicotine replacement doesn't work, does increasing dosage improve smoking cessation rates? Paul Cinciripini, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Behavioral Science, joins JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, to discuss guidance on the best strategies for smoking cessation following an initial quit attempt.  Related Content:  Smoking Cessation After Initial Treatment Failure With Varenicline or Nicotine Replacement 

Smoking Cessation After Initial Treatment Failure With Varenicline or Nicotine Replacement

Extensive evidence documents health disparities for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women, including worse physical, mental, and behavioral health than heterosexual women. Sarah McKetta, ScM, MD, PhD, discusses these factors and their link to premature mortality with JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD, MS.  Related Content:  Disparities in Mortality by Sexual Orientation in a Large, Prospective Cohort of Female Nurses 

Examining Mortality Disparities by Sexual Orientation Among Female Nurses

Can real-time EHR–generated recommendations safely reduce antibiotic use in hospitalized patients with pneumonia or UTI? Shruti K. Gohil, MD, MPH, of the University of California-Irvine, joins JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, to discuss the INSPIRE randomized clinical trial.  Related Content:  Stewardship Prompts to Improve Antibiotic Selection for Pneumonia Stewardship Prompts to Improve Antibiotic Selection for Urinary Tract Infection Harnessing the Electronic Health Record to Improve Empiric Antibiotic Prescribing 

Stewardship Prompts to Improve Antibiotic Selection for Pneumonia and Urinary Tract Infection

Climate action is an urgent public health imperative. Climate change is causing excess morbidity and mortality and posing an increasing threat to mental health and well-being. The US health care sector is a significant contributor to this problem. A. Eugene Washington, MD, of Duke University, discusses accelerating climate action with JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS.  Related Content:  Accelerating Climate Action Through Academic Health Systems 

Advancing Climate Action Through Academic Health Systems

The utility of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer detection is impacted by detection of cancers with low risk of mortality. Editorialist Jeffrey J. Tosoian, MD, MPH, discusses a pragmatic approach to prostate cancer screening with JAMA Deputy Editor Mary L. (Nora) Disis, MD.  Related Content:  A Pragmatic Approach to Prostate Cancer Screening Prostate Cancer Screening With PSA, Kallikrein Panel, and MRI Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening and 15-Year Prostate Cancer Mortality 

Physician as Writer: Abraham Verghese Reflects on the Art of the Craft of Writing Fiction

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