Evan Beacom is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his medical degree from Des Moines University, he completed his Internal Medicine training at Hennepin County Medical Center. He practices hospital medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Dr. Beacom’s scholarly work explores the philosophy of medicine, with a focus on the unexamined philosophical commitments undergirding contemporary medicine, the human aspects of clinical encounter, and the patient-physician relationship. His academic interests extend to undergraduate and graduate medical education, and the history and improvement of hospital-based medicine.