Education
B.A. Wesleyan University. Middletown, CT. English. 1971.
Academic Publications
Butler, Katy and Sunita Puri, MD. “Deathbed Shock: Causes and Cures.” (Commentary.) JAMA-Internal Medicine, Volume 174, No. 1, January 2014.
Presentations and Grand Rounds (Selected)
• Presenter, Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. Washington D.C. Mar. 20 – 23, 2014.
• Grand Rounds, Department of Medicine, Temple University. Philadelphia, PA. Mar. 19, 2014.
• Grand Rounds, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University. Philadelphia, PA. Mar. 19, 2014.
• Presentation for 750 Kaiser Permanente staff on advance care planning (Life Care Planning). March 1, 2014. Oakland, California.
• Conference for the Lown Institute: “From Avoidable Care to Right Care,” Boston, MA. Featured Speaker. December 3, 2013.
• Vitas Hospice. Talk to Chaplains and Team Managers. November 18, 2013. Milpitas, California.
• Metta Institute. Teleconference Presenter. November 13, 2013.
• “Can We Talk?” Grand Rounds for Geriatrics, Cardiology and Medical Humanities at UC Medical Center, San Francisco, CA. October 30, 2013.
• New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Guest Lecture. September 26, 2013.
• UCSF Memory and Aging Center. “Writing the Medical Essay.” Guest Lecture. Summer 2013.
• Harvard Medical School. All first year students. “One Family’s Story:” Guest lecture on bioethics and shared medical decision-making near the end of life. Winter 2011.
• Childrens Hospital, Boston. Presentation on shared medical decision-making near the end of life. Winter 2011.
• Ochsner Clinics Inaugural Bioethics Grand Rounds. Keynote speaker. Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA. November 2010.
• John Muir Medical Center. Grand Rounds, Concord, CA. Winter 2011.
• Talks and readings at bookstores and libraries across the U.S. Fall 2013.
Non-Academic Publications
Books
• “Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death.” Scribner, ©2013. Named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Medscape, et al.
Selected Newspaper Articles
• “Why Few of Us Get to Die Peacefully at Home.” Op-Ed. The Seattle Times, September 16, 2013.
• “The Ultimate End-of-Life Plan.”The Wall Street Journal, September 6, 2013.
• “What Broke My Father’s Heart: How A Pacemaker Wrecked Our Family’s Life.” The New York Times, June 18, 2010.
• “The Grim Neurology of Teenage Drinking.” The New York Times, July 4, 2006.
• “Many Couples Must Negotiate Terms of “Brokeback” Marriage,” The New York Times, March 7, 2006.
• “Beyond Rivalry, a Hidden World of Sibling Violence.” The New York Times, February 28, 2006.
Selected Magazine Articles
• “Private Lives” (Blessings Column). Good Housekeeping, October 2013.
• “A Brief History of Psychotherapy.” Psychotherapy Networker, March/April 2012.
• “The New Grief.” Psychotherapy Networker, July/August 2011.
• “The Good Daughter: Becoming the Family Caregiver.” More Magazine, April 6, 2009.
• “How to Access Your Inner Calm.” More Magazine, September 2008.
• “Being There.” Psychotherapy Networker, Sept/October 2007.
• “My Life as a House.” More Magazine. February 2005.
• “Researching PTSD: The Biology of Fear.” Psychotherapy Networker, July/Aug 1996.
• “When Therapy Does Harm.” Psychotherapy Networker, Nov/Dec 1992.
• “The Talk of the Town,” articles in The New Yorker: “Devotion.” August 29, 1988; “Vibration.” December 12, 1988; “Issan Dorsey.” June 13, 1988; “Valentine.” February 29, 1988; Notes and Comment: The AIDS Quilt.” October 5, 1987.
Teaching
• “Straw Into Gold:The Alchemy of Memoir.” Five-day writing workshop held annually at Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA. 2001 – present.
• “The Great Leap Forward: Shaping Complex Topics into Compelling Stories.” Workshop at Annual Conference, Association of Health Care Journalists. Boston, MA. March 14, 2013.
• Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism, sponsored by The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Panelist and teacher on memoir, science writing, and narrative non-fiction. Winter 2009 and 2010.
• Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, Washington D.C. Workshop presenter, March 1995 – present.
• “The Craft of Feature Writing.” University of California at Berkeley Extension Program. Onesemester course. Winter, 2002.
• “Awakening the Writer Within.” Workshops, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA. 2005 – 2009.
Awards and Honors (Selected)
• Finalist, “Books for a Better Life” Award. Spring 2014. Multiple Sclerosis Society of NY.
• First Place, “Science in Society” Prize, National Association of Science Writers. 2011.
• First Place, National Healthcare Journalism, Association of Health Care Journalists, 2011.
• Finalist, National Magazine Award for Personal Service, 2004.
• Honorary Master of Arts Degree from Wesleyan University. Middletown, CT. 1981.
• Writing Residencies at Blue Mountain Center, Mesa Refuge, and Hedgebrook Foundation.
Employment
• The San Francisco Bay Guardian. Staff Reporter. 1972 – 1978
• The San Francisco Chronicle. Staff Reporter and Relief Assistant City Editor. 1978 – 1990
• Psychotherapy Networker. Washington, D.C. Staff Writer and Features Editor, 1990-2008.
Featured and Interviewed (Selected Print Publications)
• “The Rumpus Interview with Katy Butler” by Jody Smiling. The Rumpus. October 30, 2013.
• “Caring For Aging Parents, Even From A Distance.” NY Times (Business Section). November 19, 2013.
• “Katy Butler Describes Path to Better Way of Death,” by Meredith May. San Francisco Chronicle. September 23, 2013.
• “Mill Valley’s Butler Questions End-of-life Care in Memoir,” by Vicki Larson. Marin Independent Journal. September 9, 2013.
• “Why Americans Can’t Die With Dignity” by Zaineb Mohammed. Mother Jones. September 7, 2013.
Media Appearances: Television and Radio (Selected)
• Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane, WHYY-FM. Philadelphia, December 17, 2013.
• The Diane Rehm Show distributed by NPR worldwide. Washington, DC. November 11, 2013.
• Southern Festival of Books, Nashville, TN. Live broadcast by CSPAN. October 11, 2013.
• Consider This interview on Al Jazeera America. October 9, 2013.
• The John Gambling Show, WOR-AM 710. New York City, October 1, 2013.
• The Melissa Harris Perry show, MSNBC. “The Real Cost of Dying.” New York, September 28, 2013.
• The Joy Cardin Show, Wisconsin Public Radio (NPR). September 23, 2013.
• The Roundtable, WAMC Northeast Public Radio. September 9, 2013.
• IdeaSphere: A Platform for Today’s Voices on PRX.
• More than 20 additional NPR regional programs and other media appearances.
Affiliations/Memberships
• National Association of Science Writers (NASW)
• Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ)
• The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)
• PEN American Center
• Toastmasters International