A blessing for health care workers
As winter approaches and life slows down, it’s a time to pause and reflect on all everyone has had to endure these past few years. To those involved in health care, it has been an especially difficult time… a test of both resolution and inner strength. With my hope that all will see brighter days ahead, I offer the following as my means of giving thanks to all of you …
Lessons from employer-mandated COVID leave
I saw two positive lines on the home test kit. My body felt like I had been beaten with a jackhammer and the buzzing in my head reminded me of a hangover, the likes of which I had not seen for at least 20 years. Somehow, I organized my thoughts enough to call employee health and then updated the primary care clinic where I work as a physician. Clinic …
Understanding your personal risk factors for burnout
An excerpt from The Resilient Life: Manage Stress, Prevent Burnout, & Strengthen Your Mental and Physical Health.
According to a recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, “a dramatic increase in burnout and decrease in satisfaction with work-life integration occurred in U.S. physicians between 2020 and 2021.” This isn’t a …
Nutrition’s impact on pain and obesity [PODCAST]
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“Both pain and obesity can have a multitude of causes. Therefore, reducing pain and body weight should be approached in a multifactorial way; nutritionally, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Failure to do so may result in short-term success …
Leaders who elevate diverse employees create psychological safety
When I transitioned into a new role as a training faculty member at an academic medical center a few years ago, it didn’t take long to realize that the program had a problem with psychological safety. There wasn’t much.
As I got to know the trainees and heard specific feedback, I began to understand why. The trainees felt criticized and unsupported by the training faculty. And every time there was a …
Ethical consumerism: How to shop responsibly for the holidays
After record-setting sales of $889.3 billion last holiday season, the National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend between $942-960 billion this year. Deloitte forecasts that each American will make $1,455 worth of holiday-related purchases individually.
It is possible to have your holiday spending support impactful companies and causes while getting the gifts you want your loved ones to enjoy.
What is ethical consumerism?
Business Insider defines ethical consumerism as “the practice of spending …
Everything you need to know about a physician mortgage loan
People might think having a medical degree can help you get a home loan. But it’s more complex and nearly impossible for physicians. Medical professionals, especially recent graduates, often have a high debt-to-income ratio because of student loans, making it difficult to qualify for conventional home loans. Doctors also have trouble when they don’t have any savings.
Fortunately, there is an alternative tailored explicitly for physicians called …
How clinicians can respond to the “big ask”
“Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
– Viktor Frankl
In the post-pandemic practice environment, the autonomy-squishing “big ask” within many organizations is for providers to see more patients and improve practice efficiency with dwindling resources so as to buffer the bottom line and allow for system recovery. This mandate may make us …
Remembering Twitch: a star who shone bright
I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Stephen “Twitch” Boss. He was a talented DJ and dancer who brought joy to many with his infectious personality and smile. He will be remembered for his incredible talent and the joy he brought to those around him. He leaves behind his wife and three children.
The truth is that psychiatry is a challenging …
Why Black and brown kids are falling through the cracks [PODCAST]
Sweet bitter: a doctor’s cancer diagnosis
I screen patients for skin cancer on a regular basis, and one of my research interests is to find new biomarkers of cancer prognosis – to be able to separate out cancers that won’t actually do someone any harm versus cancers that could very well spread, grow unchecked and uncontrolled, and potentially end a life. I know that cancer treatments have advanced beyond my imagination in recent years, with …
The mistress of medicine
When I married my husband, I had no idea there would be a mistress one day.
When I met the man who would become my husband, he was not yet a doctor. He was 22, a black belt, a waiter in a fancy restaurant, and very handsome. He knew all kinds of things about champagne and paté, cocktails, and sushi.
We met in our college martial arts club. I was 19 and …
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The solution to a crumbling primary care foundation is direct primary care
In a report published by the Commonwealth Fund and released in August 2021, the performance of the U.S. health care system was compared to that of other high-income countries. The results were stunning: despite investing far more of its gross domestic product in health care, the U.S. ranks dead last overall and last on access to care, administrative efficiency, health equity, and health …
You need to ask these questions to teens starting hormone therapy [PODCAST]
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“A good history and physical, including screening, can prevent consequences that burden a patient’s daily life and increase health care costs. Assessing cardiovascular risk is a key part of the evaluation. Transgender individuals may have a compounded …
A job behind bars
At least two million people in the United States are incarcerated in 122 United States prisons. Little is known about the prisoners themselves. Did their background condemn them to bad behavior? Or did they just make grievous mistakes? Do they suffer from a mental illness masquerading as criminal behavior? Can they change their life path? A mental health specialist with 25 years of direct …
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Don’t be like Elon Musk. Get a lawyer for your clinic.
Employers need lawyers. This doesn’t just apply in medicine — it’s true everywhere. For a recent high-profile example, let’s consider Twitter. If massive layoffs had been made without adequate notice as required by California law, they could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages.
However, medicine likes to consider itself as different from other businesses. It’s a nice idea, this fantasy of the country doctor who delivers babies …
Is it really a woke nightmare for medical schools?
Among the many definitions and meanings of the terms “woke” and “wokeism,” the two that capture the ideology best are contrasting meanings. The definitions are:
“The behavior and attitudes of people who are sensitive to social and political injustice” (Collins English Dictionary),
and:
“A system of thought and behavior characterized by intolerance, policing the speech of others and proving one’s own superiority by denouncing others” (Psychology Today).
The first implies a benevolent society that …
What my 10 year old is teaching me about boundaries [PODCAST]
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Drop the euphemisms and get uncomfortable when talking about abortion
It does not behoove us to mince words in a politically charged climate. To productively discuss any controversial topic, we must first define terms and get past the jargon and doublespeak that commonly muddles conversations on serious issues. The Oxford Dictionary defines euphemism as “a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.” We often use euphemisms …
Past Week
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
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The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
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Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
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The hidden impact of denials on health care systems
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
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What happened to real care in health care?
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How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
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Recent Posts
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Avoiding leadership pitfalls: strategies for success in health care [PODCAST]
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Doctors speak out: Why we’re saying no to burnout
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When doctors die in silence: Confronting the epidemic of violence against physicians
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When asking one more question can change everything
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The geriatrician who prescribes matzah and meaning in Miami Beach
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Understanding the ADHD brain: support, empowerment, and managing challenges [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
The hidden impact of denials on health care systems
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
Recent Posts
-
Avoiding leadership pitfalls: strategies for success in health care [PODCAST]
-
Doctors speak out: Why we’re saying no to burnout
-
When doctors die in silence: Confronting the epidemic of violence against physicians
-
When asking one more question can change everything
-
The geriatrician who prescribes matzah and meaning in Miami Beach
-
Understanding the ADHD brain: support, empowerment, and managing challenges [PODCAST]
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