Dr. Stu Silverstein, a pediatrician and director of MedHumor Presentations, says injecting some tasteful humor can do wonders for the physician/patient relationship.

A Doctor and A Comedian
Dr. Silverstein is one of the few physicians in the nation who also works as a professional standup comedian. He has appeared in clubs throughout the United States, including CATCH A RISING STAR in Boston, COMIC STRIP in New York, LAUGHS UNLIMITED in Sacramento and THE HOLY CITY ZOO, THE IMPROVISIATION, THE OTHER CAFE and THE PUNCHLINE in San Francisco.

He's been written up favorably by Bob Weider, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE'S comedy critic and his jokes have been quoted and printed in HERB CAEN'S column. He appears frequently on radio talk shows and has received both national and local news coverage.
Silverstein saw an opportunity to combine his unique physician/comedian background into a business which teaches physicians how to establish a rapport with their patients through humor. A popular speaker nationwide, he is able to mix the serious side of medicine with the healing benefits of laughter.

Why Comedy?
Illness is not a laughing matter to Dr. Silverstein, but he believes that finding a patients funny bone has therapeutic value in a profession that deals with pain and suffering. Silverstein says, "Humor can provide perspective to alleviate the stress, alienation and panic most people experience in the medical office or hospital" Most important he says, "Humor can help ease pain, by relaxing and distracting the sufferer and elevating his or her mood. Our emotions measurably influence our pain perception"

MedHumor Presentations
The very concept of telling jokes to a group of medical professionals in a hospital setting is bizarre enough to generate its own painful one liners. In his MedHumor Presentation entitled Humor in Medicine??...You Must Be Joking!!!, Dr. Silverstein talks about the art and value of putting a few yucks into one's examination, diagnosis or bedside manner.... Dr. Stu Silverstein is doing just what a comedian/ doctor should be doing—he's keeping them in stitches