On Hercules, Healthcare, and Our Common Finitude—Dan Hinshaw, University of Michigan

The idea behind this show is pretty simple: A university campus is a destination for all kinds of interesting people, so why not invite some of these folks out to brunch, where we’ll have an informal conversation about their work, and then we’ll turn those brunches into a podcast?

It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

Dan Hinshaw is a professor emeritus of surgery at the University of Michigan and a consultant in palliative medicine at the University of Michigan Geriatrics Center. The author or coauthor of some 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals and publications, he spent the fall 2018 semester in residence at Notre Dame’s Institute for Advanced Study. Here Dan discusses the project he undertook there, examining how thoughtful engagement with the reality that none of us will live forever has the potential to help us find meaning in our own lives as well as transform the way we see each other, the aging process, and the delivery of healthcare. And did we mention he's really good with metaphors?