Sutterwriters

Lawrence Spann was born in Buffalo, New York and has lived and worked in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and California. Lawrence's undergraduate degree is in English with minors in philosophy and psychology. His job experience includes garbage man, construction worker, summer camp director and ocean lifeguard. He entered the medical field as a firefighter/paramedic and completed physician assistant training and later a Master's Degree in Health Sciences at Duke University. At Duke, Lawrence served as program director of Duke University's Preventive Approach to Cardiology (DUPAC) and Duke's Rice Diet Program. He also was executive director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California.

In December 2003, he completed a Ph.D. in creative writing with emphasis in the medical humanities and founded the Literature, Arts and Medicine Program (LAMP) at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento where he edited several books including Poet Healer and Blood on the Page. LAMP received national attention in September 2006 as the first hospital ever to appear on "Literary Row" at the Dodge Poetry Festival. He currently works as a physician assistant at Santa Barbara's Sansum Clinic, leads writing workshops and offers private sessions for patients, health professionals and caregivers.

You may email Lawrence at lawrencespann@gmail.com