Exploring the Hope and Peril in American Medicine
Thursday, April 30, 2026
6:30 p.m.
Taliesin Hillside Theater
6604 State Highway 23, Spring Green, Wisconsin 53588
This event will feature a conversation between Dr. Ricardo Nuila, practicing physician at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston and the author of The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine, and Dr. Aaron Dunn, medical director of Community Connections Free Clinic in Dodgeville and practicing family physician with SSM Health Dean Medical Group in Mineral Point.
Dr. Nuila and Dr. Dunn share a passion for caring for those who cannot afford or access medical services in their communities. Their conversation will explore the challenges of our current system, how we got here, and where there is hope.
After their discussion, there will be Q&A, a book signing, and a chance to chat over cookies and lemonade.
This event is free but requires registration due to limited space.
Dr. Ricardo Nuila
Over his decade-long career as a practicing physician, Dr. Ricardo Nuila’s first-hand experiences have fueled his writing on health disparities, healthcare policy, and the interface between art and medicine.
His stunning debut, The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine, details the stories of five Houstonians unable to access healthcare. Where does one go without health insurance, when turned away by hospitals, clinics, and doctors? Dr. Nuila is an associate professor of medicine, medical ethics, and health policy at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Humanities Expression and Arts Lab [HEAL] program.
His work and research on the use of arts and humanities in medical practice have been supported by the Association of American Medical Colleges, and he has received fellowships for his writing from MacDowell, Yaddo, the Logan Nonfiction Program, and the Texas Institute of Letters.
His features and essays have appeared in Texas Monthly, The New York Times Sunday Review, VQR, The Atlantic.com, and the New England Journal of Medicine. His short fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories, McSweeney’s, Guernica, and other magazines.
Dr. Aaron Dunn
Dr. Aaron Dunn is a full-time family physician with SSM Health Dean Medical Group in Mineral Point and has been the medical director of the Community Connections Free Clinic since its inception in 2006. He has worked with local advocates and politicians on healthcare reform, including the Healthy Wisconsin campaign to increase access to affordable health care statewide. He lives in Mineral Point with his wife and three daughters.
The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine
Order the book from Arcadia Books
Where does one go without health insurance, when turned away by hospitals, clinics, and doctors? In The People’s Hospital , physician Ricardo Nuila’s stunning debut, we follow the lives of five uninsured Houstonians as their struggle for survival leads them to a hospital where insurance comes second to genuine care.
Each patient eventually lands at Ben Taub, the county hospital where Dr. Nuila has worked for over a decade. Nuila delves with empathy into the experiences of his patients, braiding their dramas into a singular narrative that contradicts the established idea that the only way to receive good healthcare is with good insurance. As readers follow the movingly rendered twists and turns in each patient’s story, it’s impossible to deny that our system is broken—and that Ben Taub’s innovative model, which emphasizes people over payments, could help light the path forward.
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Yes! You will need to register for free tickets because the Hillside Theater has limited seating.
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Yes! Dr. Nuila will be signing books after the discussion.
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Yes! We love to give our attendees a chance to meet and chat after the lectures. Please stay for cookies and lemonade after the event.