Medical

We worked tirelessly attempting to resuscitate this mother of five for almost an hour. Her husband was called, and he notified us that he would be there shortly. In the end, our heroic measures were simply not enough. It is fearful to imagine being told your wife and mother to your five children is no…

The last couple of months in a world with COVID-19 have felt absurd, incomprehensible, like something out of a movie.  Most of us hunker down in our homes and wear masks whenever we’re out.  Those who work in patient care settings try to limit risk, both of becoming infected, or perhaps worse, unknowingly infecting others. …

Sunlight creeps through the living room blinds. We have taken to sleeping here now on the giant sectional sofa. Most days, there is no reason to set an alarm. The dog stirs, moves from where he was nestled against one child to stretch out alongside another. My son rolls over, clutching the impulsively purchased Sunday…

I am a full-time primary care physician and part-time photographer.  When my physician assistant and practice manager asked if she could take last week off to prepare for her daughter’s wedding, naturally, I asked about the plans.  Her daughter, a registered nurse, and her fiancée were planning to go ahead with their wedding ceremony in…

The goal of laser vision correction (LVC) is to eliminate or reduce the need for glasses and contact lenses. LVC treats three basic refractive errors: myopia (nearsightedness), astigmatism (blurring of vision due to non-spherical shape of the eye), and hyperopia (farsightedness). During an LVC procedure, the cornea — the clear dome on the surface of…

Like other physicians, the past few months have left me with a multitude of feelings; helplessness, fear, anger, and uncertainty among them. As an oncologist, I’ll confess, there’s another emotion I’ve been grappling with…frustration.  As of mid-May, there will be close to 80,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. During this same time, there have…

Recently many of my peers in the health care and science professions have found themselves on a new, unexpected frontline in the war against COVID-19: the battle against widespread medical science misinformation on social media.  It is important for us to engage empathetically if we choose to enter into this discussion. This is particularly challenging…

What labor struggles do a grocery worker, custodian, and doctor in the United States have in common? A few months ago, many people’s answers may have been – not much. But ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our shared challenges are becoming ever more apparent. The pandemic is revealing that physicians, under our current for-profit…

As a first-year internal medicine resident in NYC, the physical and emotional toll this has placed on me is unmeasurable. My attending physician reminds me of someone commanding a battlefield: my “allied” residents, doctors that chose different specialties but are now deployed to my floor, “coalition” doctors, students that graduated early to help us. Medicine…