Seeing the unseen: How racism manifests in professional spaces and how you can help
My sister and I speak almost every day. Sometimes we talk about our kids, our husbands, and our jobs. She is an attorney in the military and part of the JAG corps. I am an academic obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN), which means my practice involves education. We are both Black women in majority-white professions. Our morning conversations about our respective jobs are sometimes about the work itself, which we are both passionate …
Why health care professionals must ask, “How am I doing?” [PODCAST]
How a community rebuilds from devastation day by day
If you make a wrong turn and end up in the heart of it all, there’s a light brown hue over things. The leftover mud. Sometimes on the trees. Other times on the asphalt. Up the rock walls while driving. A reminder that destruction happened here.
If you make a wrong (or right) turn, you can see piles of wreckage. An office chair. Metal debris. Plastic things. Relief and aid workers …
Why Americans are failing to keep up with essential knowledge
At age 80, I am an old man. I am also an experienced writer and voracious reader. I’ve been active in internet bulletin boards and social media interest groups since the 1980s—in what we used to call “users net” (USENET)—before the emergence of the World Wide Web.
In the 1980s, I briefly moderated a community on the internet called “Internet Village Elders.” The forum was intended to share information between librarians …
Why a football legend’s prostate cancer advice sparked controversy
I didn’t know who Emmitt Smith was. I didn’t know September was Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. I didn’t know what was going on in the weekend football game my husband was watching next to me on the couch. I was typing a clinic note because, in general, that is what I am doing if I am sitting down, regardless of the day or time. I am an academic physician with …
How to navigate stipend offers [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
We dive into navigating stipend structures for final-year medical residents with insights from Jon Appino, the CEO of Contract Diagnostics. He shares expert advice on what to consider when evaluating stipend offers, understanding …
How Pixar’s Soul teaches us to live in the moment
It is not every day that a children’s movie can touch and challenge the soul of an adult. This is how I felt recently during one part of Pixar’s movie Soul. Whether you’ve seen this movie or not, I want to write about one particular scene that has really affected how I approach life.
The setup (no spoilers!): the main character Joe has received the job opportunity of a lifetime only …
Addressing the mental health crisis with virtual on demand
The U.S. is grappling with a mental health crisis. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in five US adults live with a mental illness. This includes disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and more, ranging in severity from mild-moderate to severe.
Telehealth has proven to be an effective tool in addressing the crisis by improving access to care, reducing stigma, and providing flexible, timely support.
Imagine …
Unexpected lessons in self-care from my backyard garden
Here’s something you may already know. I didn’t until recently, but I sure do now, and it’s a lesson I won’t forget—something I wish I’d known three weeks ago.
Rabbits love cone flowers.
We recently downsized to a cute house with window boxes. I’ve never had window boxes before and am honestly not much of a gardener. I went to the local place where we buy plants and picked out some tall …
How a setback fueled a lifelong dedication to patients [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
We sit down with family medicine physician Jennifer Tillman to explore the transformative journey from early academic struggles to a fulfilling medical career. Jennifer shares her personal story of overcoming a pivotal setback …
How family presence in hospitals can be a lifeline for patients in crisis
During my time as a medical student shadowing in the intensive care unit, I met Ms. Stacey, hospitalized with a severe intestinal infection. As I entered her room, I saw her frail form lying amidst a web of tubes and monitors. Her prolonged hospital stay had visibly drained her, leaving her dependent on the vigilant care of both the medical staff and a quiet, devoted man sitting beside her bed—her …
How to dress like a doctor
Are you a medical student or resident rotating through new parts of the hospital? Then it’s a good time for some nuts-and-bolts advice about what you should wear on your upcoming rotations.
No, it’s not about looking like a doctor (whatever that is). It’s not about whether patients like white coats or not. Or whether white coats carry germs. It’s not about style and personal expression. It’s about how to have …
ADVERTISEMENT
A missing tracheostomy tube fragment in an asymptomatic 26-year-old
When a 26-year-old male with a history of tracheostomy arrived in our emergency department, the case appeared routine—until we uncovered an unusual detail. The patient’s sister had recently changed his tracheostomy tube at home but noticed something concerning afterward: the terminal piece, or the distal end of the tube, was missing. Despite searching, the piece couldn’t be found. This immediately raised concerns that it might be lodged within his trachea, …
Doctors at the forefront of health care reform [PODCAST]
Belief in God: Medicine’s guiding light through every challenge
In medicine, there’s a rhythm we grow accustomed to—diagnose, treat, move on to the next patient. But for me, beneath that rhythm, there’s always been a quiet hum: belief. Not the kind that seeks to explain every event or outcome, but the kind that reassures you that even when things go wrong, you are exactly where you need to be.
Faith in God didn’t arrive through one grand moment for me. …
ADVERTISEMENT
More than just the flu: Helping families and doctors prepare for pan-respiratory viruses
In previous flu seasons, only about half of all Americans got the flu shot. Now we face pan-respiratory season, when we must worry about RSV, COVID, and the flu. The good news is these vaccines are lifesaving. The bad news is that if people don’t get them, they aren’t very effective and we might see fewer people get them at all.
As a clinical psychologist, I’ve spent my career thinking about …
Lessons from Forward Health: How direct primary care is the future of health care
In the rapidly evolving landscape of health care, startups promising disruption often make headlines. But not all disruption leads to success. Forward Health, once hailed as a pioneer with its ultramodern clinics and AI-driven “doctor-in-a-box” CarePods, recently announced its abrupt closure. Despite raising over $650 million in funding, Forward’s inability to deliver on its ambitious promises is a case study in the pitfalls of prioritizing technology over patients.
The story of …
From ER overload to genetic breakthrough: How allergies transformed my life and career
I went to the emergency room 16 times for allergies and asthma as a college freshman. Each time I was given a prescription for an EpiPen, an auto-injector pen that administers a dose of epinephrine, used for the emergency care of an acute allergic reaction.
I was told to figure out what I was allergic to. I tried very hard but couldn’t. All my life, I have had hives, eczema, asthma, …
ADVERTISEMENT
Transforming public health: a physician’s innovative approach [PODCAST]
Past Week
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
The heartbreaking pandemic story I will never forget
-
How Earth Day can inspire better health for doctors and patients
-
Why female physicians are done asking for permission
-
Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors’ well-being [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Recent Posts
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
-
Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
-
Love, empathy, and the triangle of exhaustion: Why humanity must come first
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
-
Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
491
pages
Past Week
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
The heartbreaking pandemic story I will never forget
-
How Earth Day can inspire better health for doctors and patients
-
Why female physicians are done asking for permission
-
Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors’ well-being [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Recent Posts
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
-
Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
-
Love, empathy, and the triangle of exhaustion: Why humanity must come first
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
-
