Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
Chronological starting point and an introduction to Gawande's signature medical storytelling.
Author guide
Atul Gawande Books in Order
Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He is a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of four bestselling books about medicine, surgery, health systems, performance, and mortality. He co-founded Ariadne Labs and Lifebox and has received a MacArthur Fellowship and two National Magazine Awards.
medical nonfictionscience writingessaysmemoir
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Accessible thematic entry point focused on aging, serious illness, and end-of-life care.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (3)
- Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
nonfiction · 2007
- The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
nonfiction · 2009
The New York Times bestselling author of Being Mortal and Complications reveals the surprising power of the ordinary checklist We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to…
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
nonfiction · 2014
Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the…
Essays and speeches (1)
- Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
essay-collection · 2002
In gripping accounts of true cases, surgeon Atul Gawande explores the power and the limits of medicine, offering an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge. Complications lays bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually…
Frequently asked questions about Atul Gawande
Who is Atul Gawande?
Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, writer, and public-health innovator. He practices surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, teaches at Harvard, and has contributed to The New Yorker since 1998.
Sources: atulgawande.com (opens in a new tab)newyorker.com (opens in a new tab)
Where did Atul Gawande study?
He earned degrees from Stanford University, the University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health.
Who influenced Atul Gawande as a medical writer?
Gawande has identified physician-writers Oliver Sacks, Abraham Verghese, and Sherwin Nuland as important influences during medical school.
Source: macleans.ca (opens in a new tab)
What awards has Atul Gawande received?
His honors include a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship, two National Magazine Awards, AcademyHealth’s Impact Award, and the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science.
Sources: macfound.org (opens in a new tab)nationalbook.org (opens in a new tab)
How has Atul Gawande influenced healthcare?
He helped lead development of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and co-founded Lifebox and Ariadne Labs, organizations focused on safer surgery and practical health-system improvement worldwide.
Sources: lifebox.org (opens in a new tab)ariadnelabs.org (opens in a new tab)