This physician was suicidal. Her partners told her to shut up.

To say that I grieved in the months following the unexpected death of my husband is an understatement. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. Thirty pounds evaporated from my 5’ 4”, 130-pound frame. Incessant crying left me dehydrated with cracked, bloody lips. Too soon, financial and professional pressure forced a return to my anesthesia practice.…

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Don’t underestimate the value of intergenerational relationships [PODCAST]

“With the rapid growth of modern medicine and awareness in lifestyle and environmental influences, individuals can live longer and healthier lives. Approximately 15.2 percent of the U.S. population consists of individuals 65 years and older. To make the added years of life expectancy fulfilling, older adults need to stay socially connected and involved. One key…

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A heartfelt thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers

We officially now have the vaccine and have begun to immunize the frontline workers at our hospital with the COVID-19 vaccine. And since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine emergency use authorization and a second vaccine from Moderna, there’s more hope for an end to the global pandemic. This specific batch of…

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What blockchain mean for health care?

In 2016, I was at an angel investor’s conference in Las Vegas when I met a certain individual pursuing their MBA at Stanford University. We got to talking about angel investing, and the term “blockchain” was mentioned. I asked, “the blockchain: that’s Bitcoin, isn’t it?” “Oh no,” was their reply, “Bitcoin is only the beginning…

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An introduction to medical-legal consulting

As many of you know, burnout is an increasingly serious problem for physicians, affecting over 50 percent of clinicians in some studies conducted before our current COVID-19 pandemic.  In fact, in an interesting study, one of every four physicians is looking to do some non-clinical work, in part, to ease the stress of today’s clinical…

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A cozy COVID Christmas: Finding hope and joy in darkness

We recently passed the third Sunday of Advent. In my faith tradition, that is a day we focus on joy. I write today about the joys of having a “cozy COVID Christmas” and how we can celebrate our respective holidays while minimizing the risk to our loved ones and community. I am an ICU doctor…

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Issues faced by LGBTQ individuals in the operative setting [PODCAST]

“Studies have repeatedly demonstrated a vast majority of pain physicians don’t feel like they have adequate training in meeting the unique needs of this patient population, though most agree that such efforts are very necessary. This disconnect between demand and supply is a problem, a big one. With the current pandemic stretching many people thin…

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