The Doctor Who Cycled the World (with Dr. Stephen Fabes)

"It's like having a backstage pass to the world." That's how Stephen Fabes, MBChB describes his epic adventure exploring all six inhabited continents on a bicycle. Over the course of 6+ years, he cycled across 75 countries and 53,000 miles, discovering how human stories shape our conceptions of health and illness. Currently an acute medicine specialist at the Royal London Hospital, Dr. Fabes is also the author of the 2020 memoir Signs of Life: A Doctor's Journey to the Ends of the Earth. His writings have also appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph, CNN, and the BBC. In this episode, he joins us to share thrilling, thought-provoking, and amusing moments from his journey, what his travels through refugee camps and war-torn hospital wards have taught him about health care at the margins, and stories of everyday kindness that underscore our common humanity.In this episode, we’ll discuss: 2:07 - Why Dr. Fabes decided to become a doctor 3:50 - The roots of Dr. Fabes’ sense of adventure13:16 - How medical training differs in the UK and the US14:34 - Dr. Fabes’ planning process for his 6+ year international bicycle journey16:20 - A recap of the path that Dr. Fabes took on his 53,000 mile21:15 - The most challenging aspects of Dr. Fabes’  journey and how they gave him the urge to visit medical projects on his travels23:11 - How Dr. Fabes grappled with the moments when his health or life was in jeopardy27:28 - Dr. Fabes’ takeaways from observing such a wide variety of international medical practices32:38 - The challenges that arose as Dr. Fabes’ transitioned back to regular life after his trip35:27 - How Dr. Fabes’ experiences have shaped how he now approaches medicine 36:42 - The importance of keeping an open mind in order to best meet your patients where they areTo learn more about Dr. Fabes’ book Signs of Life: A Doctor’s Journey to the Ends of the Earth and his work, visit https://stephenfabes.com/Follow Dr. Fabes on Twitter/X at https://twitter.com/DrStephenFabes.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected] The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2023