Women now make up over one-third of the physician workforce and more than half of medical school graduates, yet medicine remains shaped by a deeply entrenched culture of inequity. This inequity not only harms the careers and well-being of women physicians, it also jeopardizes patient care and weakens our national health care system.
As a physician and author of the forthcoming book Doctoring While Female: The Personal and National Toll of …
Three years after mpox shocked the world, a silent crisis is unfolding in Africa while the rest of the world seems to have moved on.
When mpox (formerly called monkeypox) grabbed global headlines in 2022, it seemed like the next big pandemic threat. Three years later, the story looks very different depending on where you are. In Africa, mpox is still spreading and cases are rising in some countries. In the …
Introduction
In most cases, family structures are not all they are cracked up to be. Though they may not seem like it, they are active environments that mold our bodies, minds, and emotions. Each interaction, habit, and feeling shared at home adds up to what we become. Studies have consistently demonstrated that family systems and their health impact the well-being of each individual within them. Whether it is the family’s love …
Women are entering medical school in greater numbers and constitute half of all classes. There are many reasons to keep women in the medical workforce. Women physicians provide more preventative services and devote more time to psychosocial/family medical history. Studies show that patient satisfaction with women physicians is significantly higher than with men physicians. Elderly patients who received care from women general internists had lower 30-day mortality and readmission rates …
You can live without a nipple, but what if you don’t have to?
Historically, this specialized region of the breast—known as the nipple-areolar complex—was one of the most vital aspects of human anatomy, providing not only nutrition but also immunologic safety for the infant via breastfeeding. The nipple deserves our respect; without it, human society would not exist.
While there are ample supplemental options today that allow people to …
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Health care executive Max Rollwage discusses his article “The promise and perils of AI in health care: Why we need better testing standards.” Max highlights the risks of relying on AI systems …
For years, preventive medicine has centered on screenings, routine checkups, and occasional lifestyle interventions. Now, artificial intelligence is transforming that approach. It offers the potential to shift from reactive care to truly proactive, preventive health care. With machine learning models capable of analyzing vast datasets, from electronic health records and genomics to neighborhood-level social determinants of health, AI is enabling us to predict disease before symptoms appear. This paves the …
The “pay-play it forward” concept for organ transplantation is simple. Simplistically, the organ donors’ data can be explored, if feasible, to determine incidence or prevalence of organ donations by the organ recipients, thus “paying it forward.” Thereafter, the organ recipients’ data can be explored, if feasible, to determine incidence or prevalence of pledged organ donors among the organ recipients. Finally, the transplant waiting lists’ data can be explored, if feasible, …
People say it all the time: “Well, it’s not brain surgery.” It’s meant as a joke, a way to say something isn’t that hard. But for me and my colleagues, it is brain surgery. Every single day. And it’s hard in ways that go far beyond the technical.
Every August, we mark Neurosurgery Awareness Month. It is a time to shed light on one of the most complex, demanding, and profoundly …
I didn’t leave medicine because I stopped believing in the healing power of the white coat. I left because I realized that healing, in today’s health care system, often requires more than a stethoscope.
My journey began in India, where I earned my medical degree and practiced within a health care system that, like many around the world, faces the dual challenges of limited resources and high patient demand. I saw …
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Cardiologist Stanley Liu discusses his article “The business lesson new doctors must unlearn.” Stanley explains why the habits of being a “good soldier” during residency—such as accepting excessive workloads, never questioning compensation, …
In today’s data-rich but insight-poor health care environments, the ability to measure performance isn’t the problem. The real challenge is turning that measurement into meaningful, actionable insight—and more importantly, sustainable improvement. I’ve seen countless KPI dashboards rolled out with great fanfare, only to become screen clutter that no one trusts, understands, or uses to drive change.
To avoid that fate, you must build dashboards rooted in operational reality, tailored to the …
Physicians today face mounting challenges in the practice of medicine, including declining reimbursement, workforce shortages, administrative burdens, and the ever-present risk of litigation. The Doctors Company’s latest study, “Nuclear Verdicts and Rising Costs: How Inflation Is Impacting Medical Malpractice Claims,” highlights another pressure point: the accelerating impact of inflation on medical malpractice claims.
The research study, conducted by Moore …
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Throughout my career as a board-certified colorectal surgeon, I have prided myself on my commitment to providing high-quality patient care and upholding professional integrity. As a long-standing member of a major surgical society, I have always believed in the mission to foster excellence in the field of surgery. However, my relationship with that organization took a challenging turn when I was placed on probation after testifying in a medical malpractice …
A new gene-editing therapy just dropped LDL cholesterol by 69 percent — with a single injection. One shot, permanent effect. Cue the headlines: “Game-changer!” “End of statins!” “Revolution in heart disease!”
Here we go again.
Let’s be clear: I’m not anti-innovation. I’m not against gene therapy. I’m against making the same mistake again and again, just with better marketing and shinier tools.
VERVE-102 is the latest miracle-in-a-vial — a CRISPR base-editing therapy that …
Although locum tenens in medicine has a rich history dating back to the 1970s, many misconceptions and questions continue to foster apprehension in those considering this alternative form of practice. While some view locum tenens providers as unstable wanderers who may have difficulty holding traditional permanent employment, many, such as myself, have taken this intentional path in search of independence and freedom.
From a busy metropolitan hospital in California to a …
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Physician Jessie Mahoney discusses her article “Why physicians struggle with caregiving and how to cope with grace,” reflecting on the unique challenges doctors face when caring for aging parents and ill family …
Over the past decade, cycling has evolved from a sport into a full-fledged lifestyle. From weekend road warriors to dedicated commuters, millions of men around the world rely on their bikes for exercise, stress relief, and environmental consciousness. But a question often comes up in clinic rooms, whispered more than spoken aloud: “Is all this cycling hurting my fertility?”
It is a valid concern, especially for men trying to conceive. The …
When I began my internal medicine residency in 1987 at Boston City Hospital, all new interns were enrolled in the Housestaff Association, the residents’ union. Some of my resident peers were active leaders in the union. Coming from Minneapolis …
Since spring 2020, Molly Humphreys, a native of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, has photographed workers in and around the Berkeley Medical Center (BMC) and, in the process, has created a rich mosaic of the complex realities of health care in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Specializing in portraiture, Humphreys had never worked in the health care space—that is, until I invited her to partner in …
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