Medical
The art of medicine: a patient’s perspective
“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.” – Sir William Osler One of the most sacred and intimate relationships is that which exists between patient and physician. A patient shares feelings and fears as…
Read MorePhysicians need growth days
Physicians are overwhelmed and burned out. We have an epidemic of “too busy.” Many of us think we could get so much more accomplished if we had more time. Why aren’t we taking the time? Doctors need to start taking growth days. These aren’t sick days, mental health days or vacation days. Growth days are…
Read More5 myths about endometriosis
While endometriosis is a common condition, affecting as many as one in every 10 American women, it is complex and often misunderstood. Endometriosis occurs when tissue much like the tissue that normally lines the uterus — called the endometrium — starts to grow elsewhere in the body. These growths may cause pain, scarring, and, in…
Read MoreFlowers, chocolates, organ donation — are you in?
Chocolates and flowers are great gifts for Valentine’s Day. But what if the gifts we give this year could be truly life-changing? A gift that could save someone’s life, or free them from dialysis? You can do this. For people in need of organ, tissue, or blood donation, a donor can give them a gift…
Read MoreWhat medicine can learn from a poem
On Inaugural Day, January 20th, 2021, Amanda Gorman eloquently recited her poem “The Hill We Climb.”. Instantaneously, she electrified a nation that resonated deeply with her words. For many, she became the highlight of the Inauguration as she revived an appreciation for poetry and the meaning it can create. Through the nuanced phrases and occasional…
Read MoreI paid less for my hospital birth than most of my patients with insurance
It seemed unthinkable, but I decided to think about it anyhow. Would it be possible to have a hospital birth without maternity coverage? I had time and I had options, so I decided to figure it out. I have to start by being transparent. As the title implies, I am a physician, specifically an OB/GYN.…
Read More#ThisIsOurShot to end the pandemic [PODCAST]
“Vaccines have been around as early as 1776 when Edward Jenner first pioneered the smallpox vaccine and Louis Pasteur produced a rabies vaccine. As a microbiologist’s child, I grew up hearing these stories from my father and thinking of these men as heroes. Vaccines have been proven so effective and safe that we are guilty…
Read MoreThe rural health care crisis and medical education
Decades of job loss, the opioid crisis, and the current pandemic have all shaken the already tenuous health care system of rural America. This is happening in the wealthiest nation on Earth, with a GDP of over 20 trillion dollars. Why is this happening? And how can the medical education system better prepare future physicians…
Read MoreGun and health care workplace violence: Dr. Lindley Dodson’s tragic death
As a pediatric emergency physician in Chicago, I am no stranger to the effects of gun violence in our patient population and society. But what do we do when gun violence is turned on our own community as physicians? Recently a beloved pediatrician in Austin, Texas, Dr. Lindley Dodson, was held hostage and killed in a…
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