Medical

It was the fall of 2009.  I was a medical epidemiologist at the largest local health department in the state of Colorado, in charge of coordinating the area’s H1N1 pandemic vaccination efforts.  The CDC was distributing vaccine to state and local health departments, and we were in turn responsible for getting it out to our…

“Most Americans have remained dangerously unaware of this revolution in health care. Being treated by a non-physician is not on the radar of the average patient, most of whom assume that anyone in a white coat is a physician. If patients do wonder about being treated by a non-physician, they are reassured that their nurse…

I stood inside the door of “una chosa,” Spanish for “a hut” — the walls bamboo and sunbaked mud; a broom-swept dirt floor; two open windows partially covered by tattered cloth; no running water, no electricity. The acrid smell of smoke from the wood fire in the open brick oven permeated the air. Then I…

Lights, camera, action! You get a call from your hospital’s public relations office asking you to speak to the local news. Even though this isn’t your first time, your heart is pounding, with a mix of nerves and excitement. You start doubting whether you have anything valuable to say about the topic, even though, yes…

Physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists on the coronavirus pandemic frontlines have been hailed as heroes for putting their lives at risk to help others. While they may be the face of the hospital and those interacting directly with the patients, hospitals are full of other staff members also going above and beyond to ensure patient…

As of December 5th, there have been 281,878 total deaths and over 2,000 deaths daily.  The U.S. has had a 48 percent increase in deaths compared with two weeks ago.  Despite COVID-19 infections increasing exponentially, many still don’t believe in the efficacy of masking and social distancing.  The most disturbing part of this is that…

It is no secret that physicians spend countless hours studying a wide variety of disease processes and treatments. We all know that sub-optimal dietary choices and habits can lead to chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The burden of these diseases is rising astronomically. According to the USDA 2015-2020 guidelines, in…

“Humans are complex. Humans are multifaceted. Humans are capable of grit and determination. This means that humans are also worthy of hope. If I learned anything from watching this moment in history, I realize that it’s not about being a ‘Democrat’ or a ‘Republican’ it’s about being human. What we do now will echo through…

The screen of my laptop brightened up as the next patient appeared in time for her telemedicine visit. The attending physician and I smiled and greeted this typically genial 73-year-old woman—let’s call her “Mariana”—as she forced a reciprocal grin. Mariana’s husband passed away from pneumonia three months prior, shortly after recovering from COVID-19. She spoke…