The Nocturnists

We give voice to healthcare workers through our live performances and acclaimed medical storytelling podcast.

By humanizing healthcare, we foster joy, creativity, and connection in the medical profession and the public it serves.

INTRODUCING

The Nocturnists+

We’re launching The Nocturnists+, a subscriber-only feed featuring a special monthly episode called The Nocturnists After Hours, as well as discounted rates on our awesome new merch.

The Nocturnists After Hours episodes are more intimate and unstructured—a space where I step away from formal interviews to join executive producer Dr. Ali Block for casual, open conversations about medicine, culture, and our personal journeys.

LEARN MORE

FEATURED EPISODE

MAY 7, 2026

Rounds at the Zoo with Chris Carroll, MD

Pediatric intensivist Dr. Chris Carroll tells the story of an unexpected consult: a young gorilla named Kevin, critically ill with Shigella sepsis during an outbreak at the Jacksonville Zoo. What begins as a strange crossover between human and veterinary medicine becomes something deeper as Chris works alongside veterinarians trying to save Kevin’s life. In the process, he is struck not only by the similarities between caring for sick children and sick animals, but by the reverence and tenderness the veterinary team brings to their work. We talk about pediatric ICU medicine, the human-animal boundary, grief across species, and what doctors might learn from veterinarians about compassion.

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Hi, I'm Emily.

Since childhood, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. But during my medical residency I found myself spending more time with computers than people, pressured to be efficient at the expense of human connection. This led me to ask deeper questions about our profession, and the direction it was taking.

In 2016, I founded The Nocturnists as a way to explore those questions. What began as a personal quest quickly grew into a vibrant community of healthcare workers celebrating our shared humanity through storytelling. To date, our live performances and award-winning podcast have featured the voices of over 450 frontline clinicians.

By airing our stories in a safe and generative public forum, The Nocturnists helps shatter the myth of the “physician God” and reveal the truth: that healthcare workers are human, just like everyone else, and that our humanity is our strength, not our weakness.

Welcome to our community.

Hi, I'm Emily.

Welcome to our community.

Hi, I'm Emily.

Welcome to our community.

Emily Silverman, MD

Creator + Host + Showrunner

Emily Silverman, MD

Creator + Host + Showrunner

Emily Silverman, MD

Creator + Host + Showrunner

about us

The Nocturnists asks questions like: What is caring and healing? What fuels alienation or connection in healthcare?

the satellites program

The Nocturnists Satellites helps clinicians and clinician groups produce live storytelling shows in their communities. By partnering with people across the country, we amplify the movement we’ve been building over the last eight years — to support clinician wellbeing through creative expression.

about satellites

Listener Reviews

“What a beautiful show. Often it feels like medicine gets too much credit, but The Nocturnists made me feel like it gets too little.”

• BJ MILLER, MD •

• BJ MILLER, MD

“As a chaplain whose hope it is to see a gentler and kinder medicine emerge from our broken system, these stories are like little cups of cold water in the desert.”

• JOANNAH H •

• JOANNAH H

“I am so grateful for your work. Always relevant, thoughtful, inspiring. I am a public health pediatrician and writer, among other things. This podcast feels like home.”

• JENNIE A. MCLAURIN, MD, MPH •

• JENNIE A. MCLAURIN, MD, MPH

Humanizing healthcare through storytelling.

Pages

podcast

© The Nocturnists, All rights reserved

Website by lover studio

Humanizing healthcare through storytelling.

Pages

podcast

© The Nocturnists, All rights reserved

Website by lover studio

Humanizing healthcare through storytelling.

Pages

podcast

© The Nocturnists, All rights reserved

Website by lover studio