Harvard Club of Southern California

Alumni Book Talk and Signing with Dr. David I. Sandberg ’93, Author of Brain and Heart

Join us for this book launch event featuring David I. Sandberg ’93 in conversation with Robert McKenna. They will discuss Dr. Sandberg’s latest book, Brain and Heart, a warm and brilliant memoir that captures the medical and emotional intensity of pediatric neurosurgery.

Thursday, June 19, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Kjar, McKenna & Stockalper, LLP, 841 Apollo Street, Ste. 100, El Segundo, CA 90245

Register: RSVP to Careese A. Bradley, cbradley@kmslegal.com
Cost: No charge - books available for sale and signing onsite

“The title of this book couldn’t be more apt for what you’ll encounter in the pages ahead. David Sandberg is as gifted a storyteller as he is a neurosurgeon. Brain and heart. Life and death. Those are the stakes in all of these stories. The lessons of Brain and Heart are universal and deeply relevant to all our ordinary lives. You’ll be inspired.” —ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, from the Foreword

“This book takes you into the operating room to see some of humanity’s most important and most difficult work up close. In the tradition of Atul Gawande and Paul Farmer, it’s about much more than healthcare—it’s a mirror on the human condition and a map toward more caring connections. It will leave you with a deeper sense of compassion and a renewed sense of hope.”—ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Filled with joy and heartbreak, David Sandberg’s memoir proves why he is one of the great physician storytellers. Brain and Heart astutely reveals the connection between our two most complex organs—the twin pillars of our humanity. Told with warmth and humility, Sandberg’s passion for his wonderous work, his unforgettable patients, and their courageous families, shines through on every page.”—BRAD MELTZER, #1 New York Times bestselling author
 

About the Author:
David I. Sandberg, M.D., FACS, FAAP, is a fellowship-trained pediatric neurosurgeon who is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). He has a special clinical and research interest in pediatric brain tumors, and specializes in minimally invasive endoscopic approaches to brain tumors, hydrocephalus and arachnoid cysts, as well as surgical management of arteriovenous malformations of the brain, congenital spinal anomalies, spasticity and craniofacial anomalies. The recipient of numerous research grants, he has pioneered novel treatment approaches for pediatric brain tumors, and he is principal investigator of several clinical trials. A graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Sandberg received his medical degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
 

About the Book:

In this moving, unflinching, and inspiring book, Dr. David Sandberg, an internationally renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, brilliantly combines his deep scientific and medical knowledge with raw emotion and powerful stories of courage and love. The brain is the most complicated and perplexing of our organs, and it is also the one that makes us human. When it comes to a child’s brain, the hearts of those who love them become inextricably linked to that story.

In Brain and Heart, Dr. Sandberg describes the joy, uncertainty, and physical and emotional challenges that come with performing brain surgery on children. What sets Brain and Heart apart is Dr. Sandberg’s unique honesty about what goes through his mind when he makes the most complex choices with life-changing consequences. Dr. Sandberg allows readers access to his private thoughts when making agonizing decisions— from giving the worst news imaginable to facing fraught surgical complications.

A father himself, Dr. Sandberg knows every one of his patients is an entire world, and his devotion to his patients and his work shines through on every page. We follow him as he finds his way to neurosurgery as a young doctor through to his most heartbreaking cases and greatest triumphs. We also travel with him to underserved countries, where lifesaving surgeries that are common here are almost nonexistent, and Dr. Sandberg shares the stories of the dedicated doctors and surgeons trying to enact change. Brain and Heart is an unforgettable book that will strengthen our sense of compassion and hope.