I have never been a very touchy-feely person. I was trained as a biologist and chemist, then went to medical school where more science on top of science was aimed at me like a gushing firehose. I learned to put science and evidence first and to try in my practice of medicine to use only the therapeutic techniques that had some evidence base. That assured me that my patients would …
I’m writing this in November, which is National Caregiver Month. It’s also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. But regardless of when you’re reading this, if you’re a caregiver, every month is “caregiver month.”
Ironically, it’s also just a few days after the former first lady, Rosalynn Carter, passed away. She was acutely and astutely aware of the role of the caregiver and the toll that it can take on you. She so insightfully …
You are so close to completing your medical training: Congratulations! You worked and studied hard through grade school, college, and medical school. You completed—or are about to complete—residency training or perhaps a subspecialty fellowship. You gained valuable skills and knowledge, but—more importantly—you also grew to realize that your MD (or DO) stands more for “making decisions” than medical doctorate! In brief, you are now close to another finish line, and …
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Join Holly MacKenna, an integrative psychiatrist, as we explore the challenges and nuances of acknowledging goodbyes in the world of mental health treatment and professional relationships. Discover why patients often “ghost” their providers, the impact of business …
I was the “stranger” at my father’s bedside. Shortly after his 84th birthday, my father fell and landed in the hospital with a split scalp. His metastatic prostate cancer was an incidental finding, and superimposing this wildly invasive tumor on his Parkinson’s-compromised body marked his first steps onto his death path.
I came to my father’s final illness as his daughter, a doctor, and a clinical bioethicist. While I was unable …
A recent article in the Macomb Daily reported that a “Shelby Township doctor was convicted last Thursday of all counts for conspiring to distribute more than 300,000 opioid prescription pills valued at over $6 million, following a trial in U.S. District Court in Ann Arbor, according to federal authorities.”
This sounds very serious on its face. But without context, the public, and even we, have no idea what this means. …
Texas poker, also known as Texas hold’em, is one of the most popular variations of poker played around the world. It’s a game of skill and strategy, with a bit of luck thrown in, and understanding the underlying theory can help you improve your game and increase your chances of winning. Poker and clinical pathology may seem like two very different fields, but there are some interesting similarities and differences …
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Join Frances Mei Hardin, an otolaryngologist, as we delve into the world of distress tolerance in medical residency training. Discover practical techniques, real-life anecdotes, and evidence-based practices to help residents navigate the intense and challenging environment of …
The U.S. is facing a significant mental health crisis that has united us in our efforts to make positive changes across the health care ecosystem for those in need of care. As health care providers and experienced clinicians, we hope our joint dedication to addressing barriers to care and expanding digital services to those experiencing mental health challenges can make a lasting impact and start to improve health outcomes.
To …
Since the December 5, 2023, Congressional hearing into antisemitic harassment at Penn, Harvard, and MIT, I was shocked to learn how universities, large and small, public and private, have been hijacked by extreme right-wing leaders connected directly or indirectly to the GOP.
Examples include:
Youngstown State University bypassed the normal search process to select its new president, Republican U.S. Representative Bill Johnson. Johnson has no experience in academia and voted with dozens …
After reading the article “Terminal anorexia nervosa: three cases and proposed clinical characteristics,” I was grateful to have not had access to the article a year earlier – when I would have personally met criteria. I was holding on to a sliver of hope at the time that I could enter back into a quality of life worth living, though my exhausted mind wanted to allow anorexia nervosa to …
When a 24-year-old laborer’s apprentice used a chainsaw without training, they sustained a jagged laceration through their left quadriceps. When I saw them 12 months later in my general practice, their laceration was well healed. However, they remained unemployed because their untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was aggravated on their return to work when their boss put a chainsaw in their hands to help …
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Join Maria Iliakova, a bariatric and general surgeon. In this episode, we’ll explore essential topics in weight management and bariatric surgery. Discover effective ways to start conversations about weight with patients, learn when to refer to a …
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He is a typical patient of our academic primary care internal medicine practice: elderly, frail, and with several complex conditions, including a history of a liver transplant requiring chronic immunosuppression, recurrent venous thrombosis requiring treatment with blood thinners, and type 2 diabetes. But in one very important way, he is different: our doctors don’t speak his language.
It is his fourth visit in the past six months, and, as usual, the …
Dividend investing, a strategy centered on generating income through regular dividend payments, holds particular relevance for doctors aiming to build a resilient and diversified financial portfolio. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits, risks, and tax implications of incorporating dividends into a doctor’s financial strategy.
Benefits of dividend investing for doctors
Stable income stream. Dividend-paying stocks, often from established and financially sound companies, provide a consistent and reliable income stream. For doctors, this …
“Today is the first day of the rest of my life!”
I’m sure you’ve heard that many times before; I’m sure I have. But in my obscure point of existence in this endless universe, that statement has never been more accurate than it is today.
Being a physician has been a flame burning inside my chest my entire life. I decided on it when I was three years old, and aside from …
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I’m making morning rounds on the pediatric unit today: First up, 4-year-old twins with a severe asthma flare; next an infant with bronchiolitis on supplemental oxygen; then a dehydrated 3-year-old listless in bed. These children are all hospitalized with viral illness – but none of it is COVID-19. Meanwhile, their sniffling peers fill daycares and classrooms, and my daughter is among them. “Maybe it’s allergies,” I said to myself this …
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Join Bruce L. Davidson, a pulmonary and critical care physician. We delve into the transformation of health care work conditions, from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts, and how this impacts both health care professionals and patient care. …
The eyes can’t see what the mind doesn’t yet know – an axiom to remind us not just of the value of lifelong learning, but that the answers are often in the exam room with us.
Though bright and committed clinical people we may be, we’re dragged by the tendrils of a lumbering behemoth. American health care is designed to produce revenue and built to punish highly visible mistakes over more …
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In 1999, Sally Clark was convicted of murder. Her son, Christopher, had been born in September of 1996 and by all accounts, had been a healthy baby. Just three months later, an ambulance was called to the home, and the baby was dead.
The mother, Sally, said that she had just put him to bed and found him unresponsive not long after. The police were suspicious; she seemed a little cold …
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