Ronald M. Epstein, M.D. is Professor of Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Oncology and Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, board-certified in Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and author of Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness and Humanity. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Epstein is internationally known for his research on communication in healthcare, his writings about mindful practice and assessment in medical education. He is Director of the Center for Communication and Disparities Research, which focuses on how to improve quality of care and communication between clinicians, patients and their loved ones. He also co-directs the Deans Teaching Fellowship program to promote excellence in medical education, and co-directs Mindful Practice Programs to provide educational workshops for health care professionals. He has over 250 publications.

Dr. Epstein graduated from Wesleyan University (1976) and Harvard Medical School (1984). Among his accomplishments, he was named the George Engel and John Romano Dean's Teaching Scholar at the University of Rochester. National honors include the Lynn Payer Award from the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare for lifetime achievement in research on communication and health and the Humanism in Medicine Award from the New York Academy of Medicine. He has been a Fulbright scholar at the Institute for Health Studies in Barcelona and a visiting scholar at the University of Sydney. He is a frequent keynote speaker at major national and international conferences and at healthcare institutions throughout the world on medical education, communication, and mindfulness in health care. He enjoys playing the harpsichord, cooking, bicycling and cross-country skiing. His wife, Deborah Fox, is a freelance lutenist and founding artistic director of Pegasus Early Music. They have two children, Malka and Eli.

For additional information please visit https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/20374457-ronald-m-epstein