Doctor versus Family

Sam Guglani is a Consultant Oncologist in Cheltenham, specialising in the management of lung and brain tumours. He chairs the Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust law and ethics group. He has Masters degrees in Ethics (Keele, 2009) and Creative Writing (Oxford, 2014). Director of Medicine Unboxed since he founded it in 2009, Sam uses the arts and creative industries to illuminate challenges in medicine. He is a published poet, writes for The Lancet, and his debut novel Histories was published in 2017.

Professor Deborah Bowman is Professor of Bioethics and Clinical Ethics and Deputy Principal at St. George’s, University of London. Professor Bowman’s academic interests concern the application of ethics to clinical practice, emotion in ethical decision-making, moral distress, public involvement in ethical debate, theatre and medicine, and therapeutic relationships between professionals and those they serve. She is also a mediator and provides clinical ethics support to the NHS. Professor Bowman has published extensively both in academic and mainstream titles. She has worked with many arts organisations and is a former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Medical Humanities. Recent theatrical collaborations include Elegy (Donmar Warehouse), Tom Cat (Southwark Playhouse), Valhalla (Theatre 503) and Killing Time (Park Theatre and Brits on Broadway). She was, until 2017, the Chair of Deafinitely Theatre Company. She is a broadcaster and regular commentator in the media, particularly for BBC radio. Recent projects include developing, writing and presenting a third series of Test Case and the documentary Patient Undone about her own experience as a cancer patient, both for Radio 4. Deborah works with many national and public organisations. She is currently the Chair of the General Medical Council’s working group reviewing national consent guidance for doctors. She also serves as an external member of the General Optical Council’s Standards Committee and Board and as a Non-Executive Director of St George’s and South West London Mental Health NHS Trust.