Dr. Drew Remignanti grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1975. After receiving an M.D. from Rutgers Medical School in 1980, he went on to complete an emergency medicine residency program. Dr. Remignanti retired in 2020 after a 40-year career in a number of New England hospitals. Dr. Remignanti has also lived with chronic illness since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 19. In 1992, he suffered a major stroke which sidetracked his career for five years. During this period, he earned an MPH from the Medical College of Wisconsin and participated in several international public health projects. In 1997, Dr. Remignanti returned to full-time emergency medicine practice. This journey inspired him to write The Healing Connection, which explores how dollar-driven decisions wield too much influence over our medical decisions as patients and, sadly, as physicians as well. He wrote this book for the benefit of those of us who are involuntarily enduring medical suffering, as well as those who are voluntarily attempting to alleviate medical suffering in its myriad manifestations.

In this episode, we chat about:

:: his journey as both a physician and a patient

:: his perspective shift after returning to emergency medicine after he suffered a stroke

:: the change in medical culture with the rise in use of opioids

:: the internal culture of emergency medicine, including the self-deprecating terminology used

:: his thoughts on how to re-establish the physican-patient relationship and what obstacles are currently in place

:: why and how to become a more activated patient

:: the importance of social relationships on our health and longevity

:: how tech has affected patient care

To learn more about Drew and his work, click here.

To find Drew's book, The Healing Connection, click here.