I entered medicine like many young physicians do—eager, determined, and drawn to its promise of excellence. The white coat, the respect, the thrill of diagnosing a rare disease or saving a critical life—all of it called to me with undeniable force. I studied relentlessly, passed my boards, published research, and spoke on conference stages. Those achievements came with a sense of pride, even joy. But they were not the full …
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Medical students Kaitlynn Esemaya, Anamaria Ancheta, and Annique McLune discuss their article, “Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups.” They highlight how social determinants of health drive pervasive inequities in …
Canada prides itself on being a welcoming nation for immigrants, particularly those with advanced professional qualifications. However, Canada persistently underemploys highly skilled immigrant professionals, especially physicians. An official report by the Conference Board of Canada and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) in 2023 confirmed that growing numbers of immigrants are leaving Canada within seven years of landing. Daniel Bernhard, ICC’s chief executive, stated, “It’s not good enough to just …
It rolled past me—the same dull, tan utility cart we usually use to haul IV pumps, portable monitors, or the occasional dead printer. No decorations. No sign. Just an enormous pile of candy and snacks.
To be fair, it wasn’t bad candy. There were Kit Kats. Some decent chocolate. But still, the message was clear: “We see you. We care. Here’s a Kit Kat.” And because our admin staff does care—a …
When 2025 America tuned into HBO’s award-winning series The Pitt, we showed we’re seeking authenticity.
As someone who works at the intersection of health and invention and built their life around the creation of direct social impact, I see the show for what it is: a brutally honest portrayal of the intrinsic tragedy in our health care system. And an opportunity.
The Pitt’s unflinching portrayal of time, talent, and organizational politics is a …
Medicine loves a martyr.
From the first white coat ceremony to the last day of residency, we are told a story: That good doctors are tireless, self-sacrificing, endlessly available. That the more you give up—sleep, family, hobbies, sometimes even health—the more worthy you are to wear the title. The message is rarely said aloud, but it’s everywhere: the ones who leave early to pick up their kids are “lucky to be …
An excerpt from A Return to Healing.
Patients often ask me to do whatever tests are necessary to make sure they don’t have cancer or any other really bad diseases. It’s called screening: Look for diseases before patients exhibit symptoms, then fix the problems before they can rear their ugly head. Many of my patients believe that they have had their lives saved this way, always by a caring and …
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Surgeon Suhaib J. S. Ahmad discusses his article, “Why even the best employees are silently quitting health care.” Suhaib explores the phenomenon of highly competent and once-passionate health care professionals disengaging and …
“I look at my baby and I don’t feel a thing,” the patient whispers as she cradles her 3-week-old baby. “I feel so much guilt … sometimes I don’t want to be here at all.” And yet, she is not alone. Her words echo the silent yet growing public health crisis of perinatal mental health.
Approximately 1 in 5 women are affected by mental health conditions during the perinatal period. …
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a physician.
My journey to medicine is not unique. My motivations ring familiar to all health care workers. Many medical students are cut from the same cloth in this regard. We want to help people, to use science to alleviate human suffering, and to push the envelope of medical research. But we also want to earn a living and have …
Many of the physicians we work with are highly disciplined, generous with their time, and deeply committed to their profession. They spend years in training, work demanding hours, and carry an enormous sense of responsibility. Yet even with strong incomes and responsible habits, many still feel uncertain about their long-term financial picture.
The problem is not how much they earn. It is that income alone is not a strategy.
Physicians face unique …
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Medical students Vineeth Amba and Archita Goyal discuss their article, “What’s driving medical students away from primary care?” They share the widespread discouragement medical students encounter regarding primary care careers, despite initial …
Recently, while reading The History of Medicine by William Bynum, I was struck by a line that quietly reframed a great deal of what we claim to believe about our profession. Reflecting on how medicine has evolved, Bynum writes: “When in doubt, remember the Hippocratic injunction that health is most likely to be found in the middle way.”
That notion, nuanced, modest, and deeply clinical, feels worlds apart from …
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Why doctors should care
Five core concepts, clinical parallels
When artificial intelligence developers gather to build tools that will reshape health care, one critical voice is often missing: public health.
Despite AI’s potential to improve outcomes and streamline operations, it is being developed with limited regard for public health priorities. The absence of this input is not just a technical oversight. It is an equity issue with far-reaching consequences.
From algorithmic bias to the exclusion of community-level data, equity shortcomings are …
This story is fiction but inspired by the real and worsening challenges faced by international medical graduates navigating U.S. immigration policy.
The acceptance letter sat printed on top of Nabeel Khan’s passport, still warm from the old inkjet printer in his family’s living room in Lahore. The words glowed like prophecy: “Congratulations! We are thrilled to welcome you to our Internal Medicine Residency Program at St. Julian’s Hospital, Topeka, Kansas, …
What would a world without vaccines even look like?
Well, it turns out that we do not have to wonder since accurate historical records allow us to distinctly see and learn for ourselves. This is in keeping with our Secretary of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent guidance to Do Your Own Research.
What we actually need, individually and as a nation, is clear and consistent science-based advice when it comes …
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Family physician and certified executive leadership coach Lisa Herbert discusses her article, “From burnout to breakthrough: How a coaching culture transforms health care.” Lisa shares her personal journey with physician burnout, a …
It is said that 57 percent of U.S. doctors receive drugmaker/industry funding and 66 percent of U.S. adults are now on prescription drugs. Any correlation?
Drug ads now cast such a wide “symptom net,” comedian Chris Rock said he expected to hear, “Do you fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning? You might be suffering from ….”
Here are six ways drugmakers hijack U.S. medicine
Diagnosing. Once upon a time …
It was 7:45 a.m., and I stood frozen in the middle of a sidewalk on campus, barely awake undergrads shuffling past me on their way to morning classes. My daily walk to work cut through a part of the university where the college of medicine sits beside student dorms. It is a path I’d tread as a wide-eyed student, a determined trainee, and now, a weary attending. That morning, I …
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