About this episode
Dr. Wendy Dean , psychiatrist, writer, and co-founder of Moral Injury of Healthcare , reveals how a profit-driven healthcare system is wounding the very clinicians sworn to care for patients. Drawing from her book If I Betray These Words , Dean explains the concept of moral injury—how systemic betrayal, not personal weakness, often drives physician distress—and shares harrowing true stories of doctors punished, silenced, or even destroyed for putting patient safety first. From corporate consolidation gutting primary care to non-compete clauses that trap physicians, she exposes the forces undermining patient-first medicine and highlights the courageous clinicians fighting back through lawsuits, new care models, and bold advocacy. Find show notes, transcript, and more on our substack and website . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Conversations is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .