The Nocturnists Launches Groundbreaking Series: “Uncertainty in Medicine”
New Series Explores the Emotional, Ethical, and Existential Terrain of Uncertainty in Modern Healthcare.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — March 27, 2025 — The Nocturnists, an award-winning medical storytelling podcast, launches its most ambitious series yet: Uncertainty in Medicine, a moving and richly layered exploration of how clinicians, patients, and families navigate the unknown in healthcare.
Launching April 3, Uncertainty in Medicine is a new 13-part documentary podcast series from The Nocturnists, hosted by physician-writer Dr. Emily Silverman and developed in collaboration with arts educator Alexa Miller of Arts Practica. Through first-person narratives, conversations with experts, and immersive sound design, this new series invites listeners into the stories of those confronting diagnostic ambiguity, unpredictable prognoses, complex decision-making, and complex decision-making.
“In medicine, we’re trained to search for clarity—but the reality is, we live in a world of uncertainty,” says Dr. Emily Silverman, host and creator of The Nocturnists. “This series is about making space for that truth, and learning from those who navigate it expertly.”
KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SERIES INCLUDE:
The Art of Not Knowing: Visual artist and medical educator Alexa Miller brings the lens of art into the clinic, showing how close observation can support connection, reflection, and shared navigation of the unknown. Featured in the series as both a storyteller and guide, her work invites clinicians to to develop a more intentional relationship to uncertainty.
Redefining the Handoff: Critical care physician Dr. Lekshmi Santhosh introduces the ICU PAUSE, a structured tool now used at hospitals nationwide to help teams communicate diagnostic uncertainty during transitions of care—addressing a major blind spot in medical culture.
Through Thick and Thin: In a narrative duet between patient and primary care physician, a years-long mystery surrounding a nickel allergy becomes a story of diagnostic uncertainty, persistence, and the quiet power of staying in it together—through false starts, frustration, and finally, an answer.
Wisdom from Other Worlds: What can a Navy admiral, a patient safety officer, and an improvisational dancer teach us about navigating the unknown? In “uncertainty profiles,” experts in navigating high-uncertainty environments like Dr. Ron Wyatt, Adm. Mike LeFever, and Chris Aiken offer insight from their vastly different domains, helping expand the conversation beyond the walls of the hospital.
Time as a Clinical Tool: Across specialties, clinicians describe how uncertainty reshapes their relationship with time—when to rush, when to wait, and how time itself can become both ally and adversary in patient care.
HOW TO LISTEN AND SUPPORT
Subscribe & Listen: Uncertainty in Medicine will be available on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, and YouTube. New episodes release weekly starting April 3, 2025.
Spread the Word: Share the series with your network, friends, and colleagues.
Feature the Series: We encourage journalists, bloggers, and media professionals to feature the series in articles, reviews, and newsletters.
Engage on Social Media: Join the conversation by following @thenocturnists and using #UncertaintyInMedicine.
Collaborate with Us: Reach out if you’re interested in partnering or hosting a conversation about the series.
SUPPORT
This series is generously funded by the ABIM Foundation, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The Nocturnists’ title sponsor is the California Medical Association.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Dr. Emily Silverman is an internal medicine physician in San Francisco, faculty member at UCSF and showrunner of The Nocturnists medical storytelling podcast. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Virginia Quarterly Review, JAMA, McSweeney’s, and more.
Alexa Miller is a visual artist and educator who has worked with medical learners and teams for over two decades. She is the founder of Arts Practica and teaches in the Clinical Arts and Sciences program at Quinnipiac’s Netter School of Medicine.
ABOUT THE NOCTURNISTS
Founded by physician Dr. Emily Silverman, The Nocturnists is an award-winning podcast that tells stories from the frontlines of healthcare. The Nocturnists has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and NPR, and is a trusted voice for exploring the inner workings of medicine. Learn more at thenocturnists.org.
PRESS CONTACT
Ashley Pettit | Program Director, The Nocturnists
press@thenocturnists.org | thenocturnists.org
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