Interview with Dr Stephen Hauser, M.D.

Dr.  Stephen  Hauser , M.D. The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor

Dr. Stephen Hauser , M.D.

author of "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor"
Michael Carter

Michael Carter

Co-Host

Dr. Stephen Hauser , M.D., author of "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor"

Dr. Stephen Hauser , M.D.'s Website

Stephen L. Hauser, M.D. is the Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is Director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, an umbrella organization that links the clinical and basic neurosciences at UCSF to accelerate research against neurologic diseases. A neuroimmunologist, Dr. Hauser’s research has advanced our understanding of the genetic basis, immune mechanisms, and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). His work led to the development of B cell therapies for MS patients, representing a powerful new approach for treating all forms of the disease and the first therapy of proven value for progressive MS.

Dr. Hauser is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Physicians. He is an editor of the medical textbook Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Previously chairman of the Department of Neurology at UCSF for 25 years, he has also served as President of the American Neurological Association, President of the Medical Staff at UCSF, Chair of the Research Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and editor-in-chief of Annals of Neurology. He also served the Obama administration as a member of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues charged with advising the President on issues that may emerge from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology.

Dr. Hauser has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award, the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research (2008), the Charcot Award (2013), the Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Research (2017), and the Scientific Breakthrough Award from the American Brain Foundation (2022).

Dr. Hauser is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Phi Beta Kappa) and Harvard Medical School (Magna Cum Laude). He trained in internal medicine at the New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center, in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and in immunology at Harvard Medical School and the Institute Pasteur in Paris, France. He was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School before moving to UCSF.

The Book: "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor"

ISBN: 1250283892

Get the book

A doctor’s powerful and deeply human memoir about the mysteries of the brain and his 40-year quest to find a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Stephen L. Hauser is an acclaimed physician and neuroimmunologist who has spent his career performing cutting-edge research on multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating brain disease that affects millions of people worldwide. His work has revolutionized our understanding of the genetics, immunology and treatment of MS, and led to the development of B cell therapies―the most effective therapy for all forms of MS and the only therapy currently in place for progressive MS patients.

“The Face Laughs While The Brain Cries” is a riveting memoir that follows Dr. Hauser from his unorthodox upbringing among the colorful cast of characters responsible for his development into a tenacious and innovative researcher, to the life-changing medical breakthroughs he has made against extremely long odds. Along the way, readers will learn the incredible stories of many of his patients, whose bravery, strength, and optimism in the face of a debilitating illness were instrumental to the progress that has been made in the fight against MS. This heartwarming book, written in accessible prose and related with equal measures of humor, empathy, and excitement, is sure to inspire.

Michael Carter, Co-Host

Michael Carter's Website