Oliver Sacks Foundation

05/08/2026

Happy 100th birthday David Attenborough! Oliver Sacks loved watching David Attenborough’s nature documentaries. Toward the end of his life it was one of his favorite things to do - a source of wonder and inspiration in his final days.

This clip of David Attenborough playing with baby gorillas reminded us of a video of Oliver visiting orangutans at the zoo. Curious minds, finding connection and awe in the natural world.

Attenborough clips courtesy BBC
Sacks clips courtesy Steeplechase Films

04/26/2026

In Everything In Its Place, Oliver Sacks wrote: "I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication."

Comment below with a picture of your favorite plant or garden, we'd love to see it. (Photo by Bill Hayes)

04/24/2026

Dr. Rachel Zoffness brings much needed clarity and compassion to her examination of pain and how to treat it. In her latest book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, she writes, "We’ve been told that pain is purely physical, something to do just with bones and body parts. The truth is that pain is constructed by the brain—influenced not just by injuries, but also by emotions, expectations, and environment. This means you have infinitely more control over pain than you ever imagined: because if the brain can change, pain can change. Learn more: https://www.zoffness.com/books/tmwihs

📷 Kate Edgar and Rachel Zoffness

04/13/2026

We are delighted to share that Brilliant Minds will make its triumphant return on Wednesday, May 27, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. New episodes will continue to air in that timeslot for the final six episodes of season two, and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

When will "Brilliant Minds" Season 2 return? Find out when you can start watching new episodes of the medical drama, starring Zachary Quinto, in 2026, here.

04/09/2026

In memory of Judith L. Rapoport, best-selling author on OCD and head of child psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Oliver much admired her professionally and enjoyed their friendship. Her research and study led to the best-selling 1989 book, The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing, modelled after HAT by Oliver Sacks.

Remembering 2 child and adolescent psychiatrists...

03/19/2026

"The American Scholar" magazine is running an essay by Bill Hayes, "Thinking in the Margins: What Oliver Sacks Jotted Down in the Books He Read," on finding + interpreting Oliver's amazingly prolific annotated books in its spring issue, both in print and online.

He notes in the essay, to his delight, that the New York Public Library recently acquired 500 of the annotated books as a complement to their extensive Oliver Sacks Archive.

Normally behind a paywall - free to read today here: https://theamericanscholar.org/thinking-in-the-margins/

02/26/2026

Oliver Sacks plays piano and talks about how it feels to return to Beth Abraham, the chronic-care hospital where Sacks worked in the mid-1960s as a young neurologist and where the events of his book Awakenings took place.

This clip is from Oliver Sacks: His Own Life, an intimate and deeply moving film that explores the life and legacy of the legendary neurologist who transformed how we understand the mind, identity, and what it means to be human.

The New York Academy of Sciences, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and West End Labs are thrilled to host a free screening of the Steeplechase Films documentary on March 3, 2026 from 5:45 - 8:35 PM.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with director Ric Burns and renowned psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Elissa Epel.

Register now: https://events.nyas.org/event/oliversacks26/summary?utm_source=nyas&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=oliversacks26

Presented by The New York Academy of Scienes in partnership with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and West End Labs.

01/23/2026

Oliver Sacks talks about face blindness and how it affected his parents.

We’ve been sharing clips of Oliver from the archives. Follow along for more.

This footage was shot by Dempsey Rice.

12/25/2025

Happy holidays! This picture of Oliver Sacks and Robin Williams shows them playing Santa in the early 1990s. After meeting on the film Awakenings, Oliver Sacks and Robin Williams had a lifelong friendship.

We hope you’re spending the end of your year warm and well fed and surrounded by love.
   

12/23/2025

We’re giving away four Oliver Sacks books to help you celebrate the holidays! Letters (a collection of Oliver Sacks’s correspondence edited by Kate Edgar), Gratitude (a very giftable essay of Oliver’s on being thankful), Hallucinations (a book on the phenomenon of seeing, hearing, or sensing things that aren’t there), and On the Move (Oliver’s autibiography).

Comment below with which book you’d like to receive, and we’ll pick four winners to receive a holiday gift!

12/17/2025

A gift from us to you this holiday season! We’re so grateful to all of you for following along as we share Oliver’s legacy, and for sharing your own stories in turn. To say thank you, we’re giving away four Oliver Sacks books to help you celebrate the holidays: Letters (a collection of Oliver Sacks’s correspondence edited by Kate Edgar), Gratitude (a very giftable essay of Oliver’s on being thankful), Hallucinations (a book on the phenomenon of seeing, hearing, or sensing things that aren’t there), and On the Move (Oliver’s autibiography).

Comment below with which book you’d like to receive, and we’ll pick four winners to receive a holiday gift!