Medical
Why don’t we do positivity rounds?
We love our morbidity and mortality rounds in medicine. A time when we can look over some medical mistakes and take some time to analyze what went wrong. We debate, criticize, and some of us like to imagine that we’d never make such an egregious error. But why are we always paying attention to the…
Read MoreHow being an immigrant shaped my approach to patient care
Think about the fear and uncertainty that ensues when being involuntarily uprooted from one’s home and community. Now imagine a shy, self-conscious fourteen-year-old girl being told that she has to switch high schools – not once, but twice. You may read this and think, “This doesn’t seem like such a big deal in the grand…
Read MoreSpeak up for Black lives
I never gave much thought to racism until the Black Lives Matter movement, let alone dwell on my role as a physician with the power to contribute to the marginalization of Black Americans. I didn’t think that I needed to do so; I considered myself an ally by default. I am a South Asian female,…
Read MoreStuttering: Understanding the neurobiology, psychology, and treatment options
Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by the involuntary disruption of verbal fluency. It is relatively common, with an estimated 55 million people affected by the condition worldwide. For some, the condition can be relatively mild and is barely noticeable unless one is feeling especially anxious. In more severe cases, the disorder can be virtually…
Read MoreA coronavirus confession
I am elderly now, and as a lad, I was raised a Roman Catholic. That often involved going to confession. I wondered if confession was still done, part of the faith. You can see how out of touch I am. I am here to report confession is alive and flourishing in the church. In the…
Read MoreHow the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for social media training in medical education
We are living in profoundly confusing times. Even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, the endless stream of mixed messages from government officials results in vast interpretations of what one can and cannot do during a pandemic. Although we have been advised by the CDC to socially distance, wear masks, and stay…
Read MoreThe importance of holding space
Today I wanted to talk about a concept that is very near and dear to my heart: Holding space. Have you ever heard of it? Do you know how to describe it? I will first start with the definition and then give you an example. Holding space means being physically, mentally, and emotionally present for…
Read More5 ways to ease pain using the mind-body connection
I smashed my elbow a few weeks ago. There was no bone break — just a bad bruise after slipping in the kitchen and landing on my arm — but at times the pain has been excruciating. So I’ve been following doctor’s orders: babying my elbow, icing it, and taking an occasional over-the-counter painkiller. (PS:…
Read MoreCan there be hope amid politics?
I consider myself to be an apolitical person. I try to stay informed. I vote. But when it comes to politics, I prefer to listen to what others have to say more than I like to talk about what I think. But after watching the first woman of color accept the nomination for the vice…
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