In this issue of Medical Clinics of North America, guest editor Dr. Heather Hofmann brings her considerable expertise to the topic of Communication Skills and Challenges in Medical Practice. Communication is a core part of medical practice, and just as physicians increase their knowledge and hone clinical reasoning skills, so too must communication skills be refined. This issue provides an evidence-based review of patient-centered communication for the general practitioner, covering key communications skills commonly used in patient encounters, including challenges posed by modern medicine to effective communication.