SELLEST OSAST
Jack El-Hai '79 is a journalist who writes nonfiction books, articles, and essays. He covers medicine, history, science, and crime.
Among his published books are The New York Times bestselling The Nazi and the Psychiatrist (adapted in 2025 into the movie Nuremberg), The Lobotomist, The Lost Brothers, and Face in the Mirror. His new book The Case of the Autographed Corpse: A Medicine Man and a Mystery Writer in Pursuit of Justice will be published by Pegasus Books in October 2026. He has contributed essays and articles to Smithsonian, The Atlantic, GQ, Wired, Scientific American, and many other publications. Since 2018, he has published “Damn History,” a free monthly newsletter for readers and writers of popular history.
Jack grew up in Los Angeles and is a past president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He is a two-time winner of the June Roth Award for medical journalism and has won two Minnesota Book Awards. He currently sits on the board of The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. His website is https://el-hai.com.
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