February 2024

Belen Gallarza-Wilson, MD & Lisa Sanders, MD

Bringing vital medical care to St. Lucia’s underserved

February 29, 2024Feb 29, 2024

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is seemingly simple: we are to join forces with another non-profit group in order to deliver medical care to those that need it most on St. Lucia, a West Indian island nation variously colonized by the English and French, with Arawak and Carib roots. It will be our inaugural trip to this Caribbean idyll and our first collaboration with another non-profit, but …

Drugs and prescribing

The opioid crisis: profits, lawsuits, and pharmaceutical influence

L. Joseph Parker, MD

February 29, 2024Feb 29, 20243

The absolute belief in a vast conspiracy is often associated with an unbalanced mind. People suffering from some forms of mental illness are prone to these beliefs, seeing the invisible hand of the CIA behind the music choices on their radio stations. But that’s not always the case. Dr. Andrew Wakefield was born in 1956 and completed his medical degree in 1981, becoming a fellow of the Royal College of …

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Heart-stopping brain surgery: a surgeon’s harrowing dilemma

Marc Arginteanu, MD

February 29, 2024Feb 29, 2024

An excerpt from of Paint and Pancakes. The epicenter of Jane's cancer occupied some very expensive real estate between Broca's area and the motor strip. Her ability to speak and form coherent words resided in Broca's. A little further back…

An excerpt from of Paint and Pancakes.

The epicenter of Jane’s cancer occupied some very expensive real estate between Broca’s area and the motor strip. Her ability to speak and form coherent words resided in Broca’s. A little further back was the Motor Strip, which controlled the movement of the right side of her body.

It all looks the same … so damned normal. Mike cleared his throat. High-price

…

Christine Marie Deeths, MD

How a simple chore transformed my perspective on medicine

February 29, 2024Feb 29, 2024

My son was born in a small community hospital with breathing and heart issues requiring transfer to a children's hospital several hundred miles away. I arrived at the children's hospital, worried, exhausted, and overwhelmed many hours after he did. Everything…

My son was born in a small community hospital with breathing and heart issues requiring transfer to a children’s hospital several hundred miles away. I arrived at the children’s hospital, worried, exhausted, and overwhelmed many hours after he did. Everything had happened so quickly my head was spinning.

After I checked on my son, I was directed to the Ronald McDonald house. I arrived in the wee hours of the morning …

Violence against health care workers [PODCAST]

February 28, 2024Feb 28, 2024

Join Harry Severance, an emergency physician, as we delve into the alarming rise in violence against health care workers. We'll explore the root causes of this issue, the impact on health care professionals, the implications of underreporting, and the urgent…

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Join Harry Severance, an emergency physician, as we delve into the alarming rise in violence against health care workers. We’ll explore the root causes of this issue, the impact on health care professionals, the implications of underreporting, and the urgent need for preventive measures.

Harry Severance is …

Surviving a 28-hour hospital shift: a resident’s struggle and passion

Stephanie Wottrich, MD

February 28, 2024Feb 28, 2024

I recently worked a 28-hour shift in the hospital. I am on a rotation where I work these long shifts every four days, and my last 3 or 4 of these shifts have been the kind that really tries a…

I recently worked a 28-hour shift in the hospital. I am on a rotation where I work these long shifts every four days, and my last 3 or 4 of these shifts have been the kind that really tries a person’s soul. I got called all night to see new patients and take care of existing ones, and mind you, this is after a 6:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. day …

Sham peer review epidemic: A doctor’s career destroyed

Aysun Alagoz, MD

February 28, 2024Feb 28, 2024

An excerpt from The Medical Matrix: One Physician's Story Maneuvering the Minefields of Medicine. It was a routine Monday morning in the middle of May 2011. I had custody of my boys that day, so I dropped them off at…

An excerpt from The Medical Matrix: One Physician’s Story Maneuvering the Minefields of Medicine.

It was a routine Monday morning in the middle of May 2011. I had custody of my boys that day, so I dropped them off at school and headed to work.

As soon as I got to work I received a phone call from the vice CEO of the hospital. Maria (name changed) was a short woman …

Discover the physician who made a village his family

Zoran Naumovski, MD

February 28, 2024Feb 28, 2024

I finished my residency training on June 30th, 2000, in a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program at Ohio State University and Columbus Children's Hospital (before it was renamed Nationwide Children's Hospital). One month later, I was slated to…

I finished my residency training on June 30th, 2000, in a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program at Ohio State University and Columbus Children’s Hospital (before it was renamed Nationwide Children’s Hospital). One month later, I was slated to begin my first “adult” job as I joined a private family medicine practice in Southern Ohio – practicing traditional medicine (outpatient and inpatient care). There were no hospitalists back then …

Beyond medical vs. N95: strategic masking for COVID protection

P. Dileep Kumar, MD, MBA

February 28, 2024Feb 28, 2024

Do masks prevent COVID-19 infections? You might be thinking that it is a bit late to ponder these questions. But better late than never! As shown in the following graph provided by the CDC, COVID is here to stay with us, at least for the time being. Even though nothing compared to the 140,000 hospitalizations per week during the early 2022 wave, there were still about 40,000 weekly hospitalizations a …

The untold truth of medical residency: a look at its grueling past and present

Katherine Twombley, MD

February 28, 2024Feb 28, 2024

An excerpt from First Do No Harm: A Physician's Burnout and Mental Health Guidebook from Medical School to Retirement. Residency requirements have changed drastically since my father completed medical school in the 1970s. Residents needed to be fully focused and…

An excerpt from First Do No Harm: A Physician’s Burnout and Mental Health Guidebook from Medical School to Retirement.

Residency requirements have changed drastically since my father completed medical school in the 1970s. Residents needed to be fully focused and alert despite working forty-eight- or seventy-two-hour days, which led some to substance misuse. Some residents took stimulants to help perk themselves …

Contract negotiations: When physicians ask for too much [PODCAST]

February 27, 2024Feb 27, 2024

Join Dennis Hursh, a health care attorney. Dennis sheds light on the often misunderstood world of physician contract negotiations, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's true value. He shares insights from his practice, where he helps physicians navigate the intricacies…

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Join Dennis Hursh, a health care attorney. Dennis sheds light on the often misunderstood world of physician contract negotiations, emphasizing the importance of understanding one’s true value. He shares insights from his practice, where he helps physicians navigate the intricacies of contract agreements. From advocating for fair compensation to the delicate …

West Haven VA Center of Education in Interprofessional Primary Care

Is your persistent cough more than a cold? Understanding micro-choking.

February 27, 2024Feb 27, 2024

These days, everybody is coughing. The resurgence of COVID, RSV, and flu has overwhelmed emergency rooms and hospitals this early winter. But not all coughs are viral. If you recently visited a family member for the holidays and noticed a persistent cough after dinner, you may have witnessed not a viral illness but what’s known as an aspiration event.

As primary care providers, we frequently take care of people who are …

Health technology

The costly divide: tech innovations and global health inequality

Kayra Cengiz

February 27, 2024Feb 27, 20243

"You have various options for this procedure. However, we will only be able to get the best results with the newest artificial lens on the market. Unfortunately, this type of lens is not covered by any insurance provider since it…

“You have various options for this procedure. However, we will only be able to get the best results with the newest artificial lens on the market. Unfortunately, this type of lens is not covered by any insurance provider since it is sold by a single company in U.S. dollars. Unless you can afford it out of pocket, we would have to go with the older version.”

This is part of a …

Why the medical community should be invested in understanding chronic wasting disease

Jackson J. McCue

February 27, 2024Feb 27, 2024

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible prion disease seen in the deer family - including mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, and moose - in countries throughout the world. The prion affects nervous system tissue in infected animals. Eventually leading…

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible prion disease seen in the deer family – including mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, and moose – in countries throughout the world. The prion affects nervous system tissue in infected animals. Eventually leading to erratic behavior and certain death. Currently, there is no evidence of direct transmission of CWD to humans. However, given the biological plausibility for transmission, equity/ecological concerns, and the …

Breaking boundaries in health care: untold stories of triumph and transformation [PODCAST]

February 26, 2024Feb 26, 2024

Join Kim Downey, a physical therapist, alongside Brittany Lamb, an emergency physician, and Adam Harrison, a physician, lawyer, and leadership coach. Together, they share their unique journeys and discuss common themes of empowerment, resilience, and advocacy in the medical field.…

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How narrative medicine empowers neurodivergent patients

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

February 26, 2024Feb 26, 2024

It's been said that the challenges neurodiverse people face are the ones that neurotypical people view as easy, and vice versa. It speaks to the hard-wired diversity of cognitive styles and perspectives among different individuals. Neurotypical people, who generally fit…

It’s been said that the challenges neurodiverse people face are the ones that neurotypical people view as easy, and vice versa. It speaks to the hard-wired diversity of cognitive styles and perspectives among different individuals.

Neurotypical people, who generally fit within the societal norms of cognitive functioning, might find certain tasks or social situations easier due to their alignment with mainstream expectations. On the other hand, neurodivergent individuals, who have variations …

Victoria Johnson, MD, MPH

How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

February 26, 2024Feb 26, 2024

A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, "Can I talk to a doctor?" and she replies, "You are talking to a doctor." He ignores her, then requests her assistance…

A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, “Can I talk to a doctor?” and she replies, “You are talking to a doctor.” He ignores her, then requests her assistance with various menial tasks (“Can you get me a coffee … I need a clicky pen”) before abruptly walking off in the direction of two short-haired, presumably male medical professionals, …

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How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

From crisis to solution: Overcoming America’s children’s mental health emergency [PODCAST]

February 25, 2024Feb 25, 2024

We dive into the urgent state of children's mental health in America with our guest, Alex Stavros, a health care executive. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Alex sheds light on the complexities of accessing mental health…

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We dive into the urgent state of children’s mental health in America with our guest, Alex Stavros, a health care executive. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Alex sheds light on the complexities of accessing mental health treatment for children within the commercial insurance system. We’ll explore the …