Medical

I find my body tenses at the word “racist.” It also tenses at the word “earthquake.” I ask you to be aware of your body as you read this essay. I suggest wiggling your toes, shrugging your shoulders, and taking slow abdominal breaths. 7:18 a.m. Shift change. The 8.0 magnitude earthquake hits. Nurses, medical students,…

A successful transition from the Trump administration will be essential as America braces itself for record-breaking hospitalizations and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2. Beyond the COVID-19 Task Force of the Biden Administration, new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership will also play a vital role in assuring our health care workforce’s capacity. Recently, the Biden Administration…

A recent op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D.,” has sparked a lot of controversy and immense backlash. The author Joseph Epstein, a former Northwestern University professor, first addresses the future First Lady as “kiddo” and continues with “’Dr. Jill Biden’…

As we pass the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long anticipate vaccine is officially ready for distribution. This record-breaking advancement in medicine has been the ray of hope that everyone is eagerly anticipating for. However, with a combination of only 20 million people that can be vaccinated with the first batch of the…

“The behavior of managers and supervisors in organizations affects the mental health of their employees. This is especially true during times of uncertainty, such as a global pandemic. Does a leader’s health and well-being change how they lead? Early evidence shows that when leaders are experiencing challenging conditions, they are more likely to become resource…

During COVID-19, I have developed a special dislike for jazz. The dreaded phone call hold—upbeat music paired with frequent interruptions by a robotic voice assuring me that someone will be with me shortly—has become an all-too-familiar sound. Though customer service lines have experienced increasing automation levels for several decades, their inefficiencies have been set against…

The past several months have been a very rough journey for so many of us, as we are still in the midst of a deadly viral pandemic that has claimed close to 300,000 lives just here in the United States and thousands more globally. We have seen our frontline workers pushed to their limits. What…

I knocked on his door. It was 8:30 pm—medication time. Jerome slowly opened his door. He was easily over 6 feet tall. Towering over my 4′ 11.5″ self. Naked. Eye to eye with his penis. He chanted, “You ain’t a bitch. You ain’t a ho … you my wife.” OK Jerome, take your medicine. I’ve…

Sleep is suffering across the world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons for this disruption are many, but notable contributors include: 1) stress-related to potential illness and decreased job security; 2) less daytime sunlight exposure with the advent of physical distancing and home confinement; and, 3) altered daily routines that tend to push back bedtimes…