Abraham Verghese (born 1955) is an American physician, author, Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Stanford University Medical School and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. He is also the author of three best-selling books, two memoirs and a novel. In 2011, he was elected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine. He received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama in 2015. He was born in Ethiopia to Christian parents from Kerala, India, who worked as teachers. In 2009, Knopf published his new book and first novel, Cutting for Stone. In 2010, Random House published the paperback version of the book and it rose on the bestseller charts, achieving a rank of #2 on The New York Times trade paperback fiction list on March 13, 2011. It remained on The New York Times list for well over two years. In 2014, Verghese received the 19th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities.