Medical
A physician learns where the light is
Three months into my intern year, I was asked, “Tell us your name, where you went to medical school, and one thing you have learned about yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic.” For an icebreaker, the question caught me off guard. Moments later, the answer emerged almost as if I had summoned it myself – unassuming…
Read MoreA message from a pediatric emergency physician: Be kind [PODCAST]
“As I read about Dr. Breen, saddened by the fact that we have been robbed of yet another young, promising, motivated physician, I am reminded that as bad as this pandemic is — and truly believe it is awful — when it gets better (and I have to believe that it will), we can’t forget.…
Read MoreNew online model identifies which men can have fewer biopsies on active surveillance
During the last decade, more men with favorable-risk prostate cancer that is unlikely to cause symptoms and spread have opted for a monitoring approach called active surveillance (AS) instead of immediate treatment. AS entails routine PSA checks and prostate tumor biopsies, and the cancer is treated only if it progresses. The approach has some drawbacks,…
Read MoreA medical student’s story of racism and bias
I am a third-year medical student at what I believe to be the most diverse medical school in the country. Every year our entering class is made up of at least 20 percent of students who identify as underrepresented in medicine. Beyond that, we make it very clear that if fighting against health and social…
Read MoreThe actor will see you now: the evolving role of a physician in a pandemic
It wasn’t very long into medical school when I realized that the role of a physician feels just like that—a role. As a former high school thespian, I recall my Step 2 CS exam feeling a lot like a series of auditions—convincing twelve standardized patients that I was a competent physician with an abundance of…
Read MoreHow can you be in a relationship with someone if you don’t speak the same language?
There is nothing more indelible than the words of an unhappy patient. In fact, in the past ten years, I can count on one hand the number of patients who have expressed dissatisfaction either in person, online, or on patient portals. Even though negative patient interactions are so rare, unfortunately, I’m consumed by them. I…
Read MoreAs family well-being declines, so does children’s behavior
The COVID-19 pandemic is bad not only for our physical health, but our mental health as well. It has killed thousands of people and disrupted our lives in terrible ways. So it’s not surprising that a recent survey finds that parents in the US are having a hard time. Researchers did a national survey in…
Read MoreI’ll reward businesses that are seriously implementing recommended COVID-19 precautionary guidelines
As stores, restaurants, airlines and offices try to lure clients back, this is what they need to do to earn my business: Make me feel safe — no, make me be as safe as possible. As I’ve begun to explore old haunts, some are doing a fabulous job. Others are not. So my dollars will…
Read MoreThe science of compassion
As more and more human lives get sadly sucked into this viral rabbit hole, devoured by this haughty virus, in a physically and socially distanced world, the internet seems more than a soul connection, and one cannot ignore the human cacophony around. Having firsthand seen so much death and destruction from coronavirus in the past…
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