In 1980, Abraham Verghese joined thousands of other hopeful medical graduates from the University of Madras and entered into the competitive world of residents and interns in the United States. As he stepped off the plane to begin his career as a doctor in an unfamiliar environment, he could never have imagined that his presence in the US would change the face of medicine forever. Verghese’s passion for patients, determination to eliminate prejudice and compassionate nature would inspire others, driving doctors worldwide to take a different approach to the way they practiced medicine.
Born in the impoverished country of Ethiopia, Verghese has spent much of his life battling against the social restraints that threatened to hold him back from achieving his dreams. He spent much of his youth facing injustice in his home country and was raised around poverty.
Coming from a country ravaged by famine, Verghese was relatively unexposed to some of the medical traumas he would later face in the US.
Verghese initially struggled to come to terms with adjusting to working life in the US, an issue that plagued him in the earlier years of his career. Upon his arrival, he had to battle against the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, a challenge that forced him to deal with prejudices entirely new to him. Despite this, Verghese has achieved prestige that many doctors can only dream of: one of the greatest testimonies to his skills as a doctor is his tenured appointment as a professor at Stanford University.
As a writer, Verghese has challenged doctors around the world to address how they treat their patients. After writing My Own Country: A Doctor's Story, Verghese truly gained attention worldwide. From that point on, his pioneering ideas led to articles in notable  publications, including The New York Times. His emphasis on medical humanities forced many physicians to face up to their asocial, reserved nature, which in turn caused them to question whether they were really giving their patients the best treatment possible.
Verghese has managed to leave a lasting legacy, continuing his work as an influential physician. He has achieved this by continuously challenging those who practice medicine, as well as delivering lectures on his ideas across the US. Today medical schools and medical students across the world place a greater emphasis on the holistic side of health care, all thanks to his passion and determination.