Episode 8: Dr. Alan Carver - Neurologist and Palliative Care Expert - Treating the Individual Not the Disease

Dr. Alan Carver is a neurologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he treats patients with neurological complications of cancer.  Interviewed by Maeve McQuillan, the conversation starts with his journey into medicine and what attracted him to neurology.

He describes his fascination with the brain, and how when the brain changes people change and how it gets to the essence of personality and function.

The conversation then turns to palliative care and how active a role that doctors play in ensuring that the care is effective and meaningful. It touches on the human aspect of dealing with patients and reflects on the profession of medicine and whether he would recommend it to the next generation.

Maeve McQuillan is an award winning Irish screenwriter whose shorts and features have screened in numerous international film festivals and have  been distributed theatrically in Europe and the US. After graduating from UCLA with a MFA in directing, Maeve worked as a story producer for the CBS Lookback Series and more recently as a consultant for Creative Media in Europe. Maeve currently has several projects  that are being supported by Screen Ireland and are in development with Irish production companies. Her TV show Hidden is being developed with the Irish national TV  broadcaster RTÉ and the Irish production company Fantastic Films. Maeve is also working on an  eight part podcast with Munck Studios Berlin and Audible US.