Medical

“Children cannot afford to wait, especially our youngest learners who have difficulty engaging on a screen.  We need to all work together to help schools reopen, especially in low-income communities that are disproportionately suffering and may lack the resources.  I stand with the AAP, CDC, European CDC, WHO, and UNICEF to support safe school re-opening.”…

Before COVID-19, I left the practice of medicine for what would turn out to become an entire year. While away, I found a new way of seeing our hearts and bodies as humans in the medical profession, allowing me to return. Here are five lessons I learned in the hope they might help others. 1.…

Acne affects millions of Americans each year and impacts people of all skin tones, yet acne can pose special challenges in people with darker skin. In darker skin, one pimple or breakout can cause dark marks, scars, or even keloids (scar tissue that continues to grow larger than the original scar) that last for months…

“Why do they book your well-child checks for 15 minutes?” my medical student asked me yesterday.  I laughed.  I couldn’t help it.  Gut reaction – like when you laugh instead of cry.  I explained that all of our appointments are 15 minutes – well-checks (regardless of age), to colds, to suicidality or chest pain.  I…

This past year has been one of overwhelming extremes: global pandemic, a national reckoning on racism, devastating wildfires and storms, and political disarray. To some it was perhaps just a difficult year. But to those who can identify the common thread of injustice, it is clear that this was the product of decades of systemic…

“With 2020 behind us and the pandemic still raging, it is incumbent upon us to take a close look in the rear-view mirror. While the vaccines’ approval gives us all hope, the vaccination initiative’s slow rollout should worry us. Physicians, health care providers, nurses, and essential workers, and patients and family members have borne the…

An excerpt from All Physicians are Leaders: Reflections on Inspiring Change Together for Better Healthcare. In times of uncertainty, human behavior often makes people resort to less-than-stellar behaviors; unhealthy personal environments can become manifest as well. Often, these coincide with health care being used more frequently and the safe haven of health care delivery being…

“Many friends have asked for my perspective on the COVID vaccine. Answering this requires both an explanation of clinical trials and an understanding of what normally slows down pharmaceutical development. Importantly, COVID vaccines are required to go through the same process as every other pharmaceutical. Vaccination is a personal choice, but I 100 percent recommend…

Everyone loved Mrs. Maria. She was everyone’s mom, grandma, teacher. Maria grew up in poverty. Though her family was poor, she knew her parents and siblings loved her and loved each other. But the one thing she knew her passion was at was school. Every morning she couldn’t wait to go to school and learn…