Medicalizing My Grief
A classmate of mine committed suicide a few weeks ago. Though I’ve heard the harrowing statistics about physician and trainee suicide rates, to be honest, I never expected to personally encounter such...
View ArticleA Moment to Reflect
The first thing I notice are his boots. He’s still in his street clothes, having just been admitted. He looks thin, emaciated — his clothes hang off him, shirt collar drooping down from his neck like...
View ArticleWellness is NOT Yoga and Granola with Dr. Tait Shanafelt
In this episode we interview Dr. Tait Shanafelt. Dr. Shanafelt is a Jeanie and Stewart Ritchie Professor of Medicine, Chief Wellness Officer, and associate dean at Stanford University School of...
View ArticleDoctor/Patient Patel
“Unlock, press down on the green button and wait 10 seconds.” I read the instructions for the subcutaneous injection over and over again for what seemed like hours. With clammy hands, I finally took a...
View ArticleImagine
As a child, I viewed healthcare as a utopia. All who entered the career sought only to help others; providers were always compassionate and prioritized the patient above all else. As with most...
View ArticleHalfway
On the first day of medical school, I turned to my roommate as we walked to campus from our apartment and said, “I just want to be an M3.” A part of me could not help but feel anxious. We had worked...
View ArticleA Meditation on the Anatomy Lab
Waiting outside the anatomy lab doors just before my first cadaveric dissection, I found myself unaffected by the sense of nervousness that palpably pervaded the rest of my class. For me – a first-year...
View ArticleThank You, Doctor
I was patiently sitting in the lobby at Quest Diagnostics, waiting for the staff to slowly let people inside in adherence with the new social distancing guidelines. I waited for about ten minutes...
View ArticleLeading the Rounds: The Medical Leadership Podcast —“Presence, Excellence and...
In this episode, we interview Dr. Edward Barksdale. He is the newly elected American Pediatric Surgery Association President. He is also the Division Chief of Pediatric General Surgery and Thoracic...
View ArticleBeyond the Bottle
“We are taking him to rehab,” she said. I could hear a faint sigh of relief and happiness permeating her voice, which had been distinctly absent for the last few months. I could also hear wind...
View ArticleMs. Metaphysics
I am sitting in school but I am also thinking of you. Yes, I do wonder how consciousness wraps round and round this hunk of meat, how chunks of flesh sustain your metaphysical feat. I am learning your...
View ArticleWeather This Weather
Weather this weather as we come together to put in the effort and build something better. We may not know why it swept in like a north-wind sigh, with a mournful stringy song of something strangely...
View ArticleTaking a Wider View: A Medical Student’s Perspective on Reforming Obesity...
Obesity is one of the most pressing and rapidly rising public health epidemics globally, affecting 42.4% of adults and 18.5% of children and adolescents. There are many established risk factors...
View ArticleLeading the Rounds: The Medical Leadership Podcast —“Why Gender Doesn’t...
In this episode we combine with another podcast, From Skirts to Scrubs, to interview. Dr. Stephanie Faubion M.D. She has practiced in the Women’s Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic for over 10 years. She...
View ArticleThe “Problem” with Politics and Medicine
In 2018, a patient filed a complaint against a medical student for wearing a “Black Lives Matter” pin on her white coat. When the student reached out to her school’s administration, she received this...
View ArticleLeading the Rounds: The Medical Leadership Podcast —“Death, Humor and...
In this episode we interview Dr. Ed Creagan. Dr. Ed was first board-certified in medical oncology with a focus on malignant melanoma and lung cancer. He then transitioned into a career in hospice and...
View ArticleLeading the Rounds: The Medical Leadership Podcast —“Dr. Alison Van Dyke on...
In this episode we interview Dr. Alison Van Dyke. Dr Van Dyke joined the Data Quality, Analysis and Interpretation Branch of the Surveillance Research Program (SRP) as Director of the SEER-linked...
View ArticleJaded
“That was great, but next time don’t ask them about back pain or nausea unless they bring it up. Pregnant women complain about everything, you’ll be in there forever.” The resident rapidly exhaled this...
View ArticleLeading the Rounds: The Medical Leadership Podcast —“Esprit De Corps and the...
In this interview, we talk to Dr. Stephen J. Swensen. He is dedicated to the support of thoughtful leaders who aspire to nurture fulfillment of their staff. He is a recognized expert, researcher and...
View ArticleBeyond Reassurance: Facilitating Resilience in Medicine.
In April of 2020, I began to use the word “adjusting” on a daily basis. I was administering rapid COVID-19 tests at the Detroit Health Department and while their tests were processing, I had fifteen...
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