Anthony Back, MD is a professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Back is a co-founder of VitalTalk, a national nonprofit that provides innovative, interactive clinician and faculty development courses to improve clinical communication skills, and Co-director of the University of Washington Center for Excellence in Palliative Care. A practicing Buddhist, he is an occasional teacher at Upaya Zen Center. He lives part-time on Vashon Island.