"It's not just the kids, it's the parents." My sex education came in two forms: an abstinence jingle in middle school, and a sock on a banana in high school. My parents offered a third option: silence. Decades later, not…
“It’s not just the kids, it’s the parents.”
My sex education came in two forms: an abstinence jingle in middle school, and a sock on a banana in high school. My parents offered a third option: silence. Decades later, not only are individuals’ reproductive rights being stripped away, but reproductive health education in any form is threatened by the federal government at all levels, from elementary schools to medical residencies.
Like many doctors, I was initially skeptical about artificial intelligence (AI). As a retired Australian anesthetist, I had spent decades relying on clinical experience, scientific evidence, and professional judgment. I never imagined that one of the most useful health education…
Like many doctors, I was initially skeptical about artificial intelligence (AI). As a retired Australian anesthetist, I had spent decades relying on clinical experience, scientific evidence, and professional judgment. I never imagined that one of the most useful health education tools I would encounter would be a mobile phone.
In 2024, I was living with obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and gastric reflux. Like many people, I accepted these …
One of my favorite quotes is, "If you're not at the table, you're on the menu." I did not fully understand the meaning of that statement until I became involved in advocacy and organized medicine during medical school. Like many…
One of my favorite quotes is, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” I did not fully understand the meaning of that statement until I became involved in advocacy and organized medicine during medical school.
Like many medical students, I entered training focused almost entirely on becoming the …
When Neil H. Shubin assumed the presidency of the National Academy of Sciences, he called for the NAS to speak with greater speed and reach at a time when science is increasingly contested in public life. That call is timely.…
That call is timely. But even the clearest scientific advice can be ignored when too few people trained in science and medicine take part in making laws and setting national priorities.
Each March, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match offers a snapshot of how the next generation of physicians views the landscape of American medicine. The 2026 Match set records in nearly every category: more applicants, more positions filled, and…
Each March, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match offers a snapshot of how the next generation of physicians views the landscape of American medicine. The 2026 Match set records in nearly every category: more applicants, more positions filled, and high overall match rates. But beneath the headline strength, two datapoints tell a more complicated story about the future of primary care.
Family medicine once again posted one of the lowest …
He has been tired for eight months. Not the tiredness that follows a bad night of sleep, a hard week, or a season of stress. The kind that just does not lift. The kind that is still there after the…
He has been tired for eight months. Not the tiredness that follows a bad night of sleep, a hard week, or a season of stress. The kind that just does not lift. The kind that is still there after the weekend, after the vacation, after every reasonable explanation has been tried and discarded. He also has a cough that will not quit, something happening with his nails, unrelenting brain fog, …
Generative AI systems can create references to papers that do not exist and make them look real. In medicine, a fabricated or poorly verified reference is not simply a bibliographic error. It weakens the chain of evidence on which reviews,…
Generative AI systems can create references to papers that do not exist and make them look real. In medicine, a fabricated or poorly verified reference is not simply a bibliographic error. It weakens the chain of evidence on which reviews, guidelines, teaching, and clinical judgment may depend.
A recent article by Topaz and colleagues in The Lancet highlights an important and growing threat to scientific integrity: the increasing appearance of …
At some point, you will sit in a waiting room and not know what to say. You will be handed a form asking about your symptoms and realize you cannot describe them precisely enough to feel useful. A physician will…
At some point, you will sit in a waiting room and not know what to say. You will be handed a form asking about your symptoms and realize you cannot describe them precisely enough to feel useful. A physician will ask how long this has been going on, and you will wish you had written it down. You will leave with instructions you mostly understood, a follow-up you are not …
By the end of my Step 2 preparation, I had stopped reading questions the way I once thought doctors were supposed to. I was no longer carefully evaluating full of clinical pictures. I was scanning for fingerprints. A few trigger…
By the end of my Step 2 preparation, I had stopped reading questions the way I once thought doctors were supposed to. I was no longer carefully evaluating full of clinical pictures. I was scanning for fingerprints.
A few trigger words could collapse an entire question into a likely answer before I had fully processed the stem. A young woman with abdominal pain and hypotension. An elderly smoker with painless hematuria. …
It was my first week of clinical rotations, the transition that I had spent years waiting for. Finally, being able to take care of patients. I was a newly minted clinical-phase medical student assigned an evening shift in a busy…
It was my first week of clinical rotations, the transition that I had spent years waiting for. Finally, being able to take care of patients. I was a newly minted clinical-phase medical student assigned an evening shift in a busy Chicago emergency department, eager to learn from clinical experience rather than a textbook or Anki deck.
The shift had been relatively quiet, and only 30 minutes remained as I finished my …
Every physician begins as a traveler. Before the white coat, before the title, before the privilege of caring for patients, we are all aspiring travelers trying to reach the same destination: competence, wisdom, clinical excellence, and the ability to serve…
Every physician begins as a traveler.
Before the white coat, before the title, before the privilege of caring for patients, we are all aspiring travelers trying to reach the same destination: competence, wisdom, clinical excellence, and the ability to serve human beings in their most vulnerable moments. Some begin that journey on well-paved roads, guided by physicians in the family, excellent schools, professional mentors, and the financial freedom to prepare without …
As I prepare to graduate medical school, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the person this journey has shaped me into and the person I still hope to become. When I started medical school, I was driven by…
As I prepare to graduate medical school, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the person this journey has shaped me into and the person I still hope to become.
When I started medical school, I was driven by achievement. I wanted the best grades, strong evaluations, leadership positions, research, and ultimately a successful Match. I wanted to be seen as hardworking, dependable, compassionate, and capable. Looking back, I think …
Recent discussions about the employment prospects of PhD graduates in India prompted me to reflect on a broader question that I have considered for many years. India has expanded higher education dramatically over the past several decades, including medical education,…
Recent discussions about the employment prospects of PhD graduates in India prompted me to reflect on a broader question that I have considered for many years. India has expanded higher education dramatically over the past several decades, including medical education, doctoral training, and other professional programs. Yet expansion alone does not automatically translate into educational quality, research capacity, clinical excellence, or meaningful career pathways for highly trained graduates. The question …
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) had a reasonable institutional story to tell. U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, MD, MBA, is an alumnus. He is an emergency medicine physician, a Marine veteran, a former student body president, and the first MSM graduate…
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) had a reasonable institutional story to tell.
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, MD, MBA, is an alumnus. He is an emergency medicine physician, a Marine veteran, a former student body president, and the first MSM graduate elected to Congress. From the perspective of a communications office, the announcement almost writes itself: alumnus returns home to deliver the commencement speech; physician-leader addresses the next generation; a school devoted …
I said something in a medical school interview that I probably shouldn't have said in a medical school interview. It was a group interview, and we were waiting for one of the other interviewees in our group (he had back-to-back…
I said something in a medical school interview that I probably shouldn’t have said in a medical school interview.
It was a group interview, and we were waiting for one of the other interviewees in our group (he had back-to-back interviews and was running late). To pass time, the examiner, who just so happened to be the head of medical admissions at the medical school, asked why we applied to that …
Recent discussions surrounding aging and scientific innovation have raised important questions about how scientific creativity should be measured. A recent article in Science approached this issue primarily through bibliometric and disruption-based analyses, perspectives that were subsequently discussed and amplified in…
Recent discussions surrounding aging and scientific innovation have raised important questions about how scientific creativity should be measured. A recent article in Science approached this issue primarily through bibliometric and disruption-based analyses, perspectives that were subsequently discussed and amplified in other outlets, including Nature.
Still, scientific creativity may not always be fully captured through disruption metrics or bibliometric patterns alone, a concern raised in recent responses discussing the limitations …
I recently worked with a medical student who had spent weeks writing and revising her residency personal statement. Her essay was layered and thoughtful, tracing the arc of her experiences and establishing a clear through-line for why she wanted to…
I recently worked with a medical student who had spent weeks writing and revising her residency personal statement. Her essay was layered and thoughtful, tracing the arc of her experiences and establishing a clear through-line for why she wanted to pursue palliative care medicine. Most importantly, the narrative sounded like her. It was honest. She was proud of it.
Then she showed it to a resident on a rotation. The resident …
As a former Team USA figure skater with my own Olympic dreams, I couldn't help but reflect on my own experience as an elite athlete while watching the Winter Olympics this year. With Match Day behind me and medical school…
As a former Team USA figure skater with my own Olympic dreams, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own experience as an elite athlete while watching the Winter Olympics this year. With Match Day behind me and medical school graduation approaching, it is also time to dream of the future again.
In March, I matched into orthopedic surgery for residency, and I hope to complete a sports medicine fellowship …
One of the most difficult moments in scholarship is deciding when a piece of work is ready to leave the desk of the author and enter the public domain. Peer review continues to rely almost entirely on voluntary scholarly labor,…
One of the most difficult moments in scholarship is deciding when a piece of work is ready to leave the desk of the author and enter the public domain. Peer review continues to rely almost entirely on voluntary scholarly labor, even as the academic environment supporting it becomes increasingly strained.
Over the past several years, many faculty in higher education in the United States, whether at public or private institutions, have …
There is so much going on in the world right now, which is precisely why I want to talk about a TV show. Not for escapism. Because this particular show is doing something that medical schools across the country are…
There is so much going on in the world right now, which is precisely why I want to talk about a TV show.
Not for escapism. Because this particular show is doing something that medical schools across the country are now being required to stop doing.
The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series at the 2025 Emmys. Season 2 just aired its finale. Season 3 is already confirmed. And if …
