Medical
2021: 10 health care trends to watch in the New Year
This article is sponsored by Augmedix: Ambient medical documentation and live clinical support powered by virtual scribes. 2020 was a remarkable year by almost any standard. In health care especially, we’ve seen COVID-19 catalyze years of growth and innovation in less than 12 months. Assistive technologies were developed to meet challenges in record time, and…
Read MoreInstead of comparing, let’s nurture the next generation of physicians
Years and years ago, everyone always walked up a mountain of snow and ice barefoot while dragging a carriage behind them to get to school, and their stethoscopes were made of bamboo. They were hard, hard times, and it was a time-honored tradition to hear the talk from our attendings about how hard training used…
Read MoreOn being Asian American: “Where are you really from?”
As a child, I was no stranger to the medical field. In kindergarten, while my classmates brought a pet frog, a family heirloom, or their favorite toy for show-and-tell, I brought a kidney stone the size of a plum. My family unites Eastern and Western medicine; my mother is a licensed acupuncturist, and my father…
Read More3 easy ways to get active — right now
New year, new you? Forget the mindset that January 1 is the only time to restart your commitment to being active. Don’t wait. Begin today, right now. Jumping right into exercise is often the best way to push past any mental or emotional barriers. Or, as the famous slogan reminds us, “Just do it.” Still…
Read MoreThe power sexuality has over our happiness
An excerpt from Breaking the Silence: Why Opening Up About Your Sex Life Is the Best Medicine for Your Health, Relationships, and Overall Happiness. I have been practicing medicine for forty-five years, and it has become clear to me that many of the mental and physical problems that people experience—the things that bring them into…
Read MoreDeath is personal for this physician [PODCAST]
“In Wooster, Ohio, where I practiced, a small not-for-profit hospice agency relied on local physicians, clergy, and many other volunteers to supplement the skills and dedication of their employed staff. It was through this work with Hospice of Wayne County, in making home visits when needed, that I learned the immeasurable value of presence. By…
Read MoreHuman elements: How Primo Levi brought science to life
He studied at Turin, worked as a chemist until the age of 24, and in 1943 he resisted Nazi occupation of Italy with a group of countrymen. Italian fascists arrested him, turned him over to the Germans, and sent him to Auschwitz in 1944. He arrived on a train packed with six hundred and fifty…
Read MoreCOVID vaccine distribution is a fiasco
The way the COVID vaccine is being distributed is ridiculous. Vaccines continue to be sent to states who distribute them to facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. Do they really think this is an efficient way to do this? When hospitals get the vaccine, they distribute it to frontline workers such as nurses, doctors, respiratory…
Read MoreBeing “essential” has been overwhelming
In July 2020, we became essential workers. We threw on our scrubs, put our stethoscopes around our necks, and walked to work for our first day as pediatricians. Six months later, I have had a moment to reflect on what it has meant to be “essential.” I have come to realize that the simple act…
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