Medical

I was lucky to do my pediatric residency training in Brooklyn. I connected seamlessly with the city and its people as if I lived there all my life. One evening in the hot summer of 2009, I counted hours on my last shift as a pediatric resident in the emergency room. I sat on a…

Our emerging understanding of the role of inflammation in major chronic diseases has brought much attention to the effect of diet on the inflammatory process. Understanding the link may help us identify specific dietary patterns and foods than can diminish chronic inflammation and improve health. Inflammation: Helpful, harmful, or both? There are two types of…

Can you tell the difference between an “anti-vaxxer” and a “vaccine-doubter”? An anti-vaxxer will outright deny and reject vaccines and may be quite rigid in their views. In contrast, a vaccine-doubter understands the importance of vaccines but has many valid inquiries. The latter may be more accepting of meaningful discourse, so here I am, trying…

“I write this as a caregiver, patient educator, and clinical researcher. The coronavirus pandemic has shone a spotlight on intensive care units (ICUs).  Due to the rapid and continued increase in critical illness from COVID-19 infection, discussions about capacity and specialized equipment have become commonplace. Terms such as ventilators, ECMO, PPE, emergency use authorization, and…

“Quarantine for 14 days. Quarantine for 10 days. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch for breathing difficulties. Call me with any questions.” These are the phrases I’ve said over and over for months. Now they are the recurrent thoughts in my own mind as my family endures this horrid disease from the other side.…

We hear the same stats all the time. Burnout. Alcoholism. Suicide. Divorce. When compared to the rest of the population, physicians are basically twice as prone to everything undesirable. And while medicine is strenuous regardless of gender, female physicians leave medicine at higher rates, largely because how we practice medicine was created by and for…

In Finland, lawmakers recently voted to make an existing ban on female genital mutilation more explicit by outlining punishments for such manipulation under the Finnish criminal law. This bill’s passage was widely applauded as it furthers the global efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM). While the bill received majority support in the parliament, a…