On Wednesday, May 15th 2024, we held an online lunchtime discussion that will delve into the use of psychedelics and dreams to ease the end-of-life experience.
Panelists included:
MICHAEL POLLAN-For more than 30 years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in our minds. Pollan is the author of eight books (six of which have been New York Times bestsellers), including How to Change Your Mind, Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, and The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World. Several of his books have been adapted for television. Pollan has been a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, and has received numerous awards for his work, including the James Beard Award.
DJ NASH-Creator and executive producer of ABC's A Million Little Things, which ran for five seasons and won a Television Academy Honors Award in 2018, and a Sentinel Award in 2021. Previously Nash was the creator and executive producer of the series Growing Up Fisher, a show that was based on his childhood with a father who was blind. Nash has become a strong mental health advocate working to reduce the suicide rate among U.S. military veterans. While not officially announced yet, he is currently developing a new dramedy for NBC, and a series for Hulu starring David Schwimmer (Friends). Follow him on Instagram and on X at @HeyDJNash.
B.J. MILLER, MD-is a palliative care physician, author and renowned advocate for holistic well-being, resilience, and building a life full of meaning. Miller is also a co-founder of Mettle Health, a company that provides consultations for any patient or caregiver who needs help navigating the practical, emotional and existential issues that come with serious illness and disability. A survivor of a life-threatening accident during his sophomore year at Princeton that made him a triple amputee, Dr. Miller's personal journey has shaped his dedication to improving the human experience. His universally inspiring and powerful message is to reconsider, embrace, and prioritize what truly matters in life while amplifying the idea that suffering, illness and dying are fundamental and intrinsic aspects of life.
SHOSHANA UNGERLEIDER, MD-is the host and producer of TED Health, and founder of endwellproject.org, a nonprofit focused on making the end of life a part of life. She's a board-certified internal medicine physician in San Francisco, a writer and a leading voice in health care who regularly appears as a medical expert on CNN, MSNBC, and CBS News, with bylines in TIME, USA Today, Newsweek, Scientific American, and others. She executive produced Netflix’s Oscar-nominated films End Game and Extremis. Her most recent film, Robin's Wish, is a biographical documentary about the final years of actor and comedian Robin Williams.