Ethical dilemmas in using unclaimed bodies for medical research

Physician
June 23, 2025

In January, I wrote regarding the biased NBC report on unidentified bodies from a coroner’s office being used by a medical school. Subsequently, the network aired two related episodes.

The second report centered on a self-employed purveyor of bodies and parts. He displayed no respect for the people whose bodies or parts he sold. The report was disturbing, as there is an ethical difference between an individual profiting from these …

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The Nova Oath: a physician’s pledge to courageous and ethical care

Physician
June 23, 2025

The Nova Oath is a modern physician’s declaration of courageous care and ethical impact:

I stand not merely as a technician of the body, but as a steward of life, a witness to pain, and a catalyst for healing.

I vow:

  • To do more than avoid harm — I will do good: actively, intelligently, and compassionately.
  • To honor the trust placed in me not as entitlement, but as a sacred contract — …

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AI is not a threat to radiologists. It’s a distraction from what truly matters in medicine.

Tech
June 23, 2025

As a radiologist, I’ve heard the same question too many times, usually from anxious medical students struggling to decide if they should pursue radiology:
“Is AI going to replace radiologists?”

I understand the concern. I had similar fears during training. But after years of practicing medicine and watching AI promises play out in the real world, I can confidently say this: AI is not replacing radiologists. It’s not even close. And those …

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How deep transcranial magnetic stimulation is transforming mental health care

Conditions
June 23, 2025

As a psychiatrist deeply committed to my patients’ well-being, there are moments etched into my memory—moments of profound suffering, struggle, and ultimately, redemption. I vividly recall Sarah (name changed for confidentiality), a 45-year-old teacher whose severe depression had drained all joy from her life. “Dr. Rifai, I just want my life back,” she told me, tears streaming down her face. Her plea echoed the silent anguish of countless patients I’ve …

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True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it

Physician
June 23, 2025

There’s a quiet rebellion happening in medicine. A movement of physicians no longer willing to sacrifice their humanity for productivity quotas, administrative burdens, or the illusion of perfection. We wrote White Coats, Courageous Hearts with thirteen other physicians to shine a light on this shift—voices reclaiming agency in a system that often forgets that doctors are human, too.

Alae Kawam, DO:

There has been a profound cultural shift—and an emerging rift—in the …

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How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 22, 2025
YouTube video

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Entrepreneur, AI enthusiast, and wellness advocate Vaishali Jha discusses her article, “Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?” The conversation explores the vital need for new perspectives in health …

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Nurses aren’t eating their young — we’re starving the profession

Conditions
June 22, 2025

I know what I’m about to say is unpopular, and maybe even controversial within our field — but I need to say it.

I’ve been a nurse for 18 years. I care deeply about my patients, and I care about the future of this profession. But I’m increasingly disheartened by what I see inside our own ranks. There’s a phrase we all know: “nurses eat their young.” We repeat it so …

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Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength

Physician
June 22, 2025

The emergency physician across from me had it all on paper: good schedule, six-figure salary, respected by colleagues, two kids in college, mortgage nearly paid off. “I should be grateful,” she said, staring at her coffee. “But I keep wondering — is this it for the next twenty years?” If you’re nodding, you’re not alone. That quiet restlessness isn’t ingratitude. It’s evolution.

The script we’ve all been given

From day one of …

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Why the pre-med path is pushing future doctors to the brink

Education
June 22, 2025

I have been on the pre-med path for years. I started college excited to one day become a doctor, but I quickly learned that excitement was not part of the culture. From the beginning, pre-med students are taught to compete with one another. We are forced into difficult STEM courses that are often graded on a curve, which turns classmates into rivals. I saw people hide resources, give wrong information …

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Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 21, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Retired surgeon, psychotherapist, and author Patrick Hudson discusses his article, “Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself.” The conversation explores the profound difference between the biological act of dying and …

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How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

Physician
June 21, 2025

I have never been outside my hospital since I joined two months ago.

As the only doctor in the oncology department, I cannot take the time to roam around the hospital. My duty hours are filled with chemotherapy treatments and the continuous monitoring of sick patients.

The hospital where I work is affiliated with a private medical college. On Saturdays and Sundays, the students have a holiday. It was a Saturday, and …

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How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

Physician
June 21, 2025

An excerpt from Real Medicine, Unreal Stories: Lessons and Insights from Clinical Practice (Volume 2).

The dinner plates had been cleared and a lazy instrumental playlist drifted through the background. Thad Brigham leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile crossing his face as he looked at his daughters across the table.

“You two always manage to bring the energy back into this old house,” he …

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A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

Physician
June 21, 2025

8:00 a.m.: The start of a not-so-perfect morning

I wake up, already running a bit behind. I toss last night’s leftovers into a lunchbox while thinking, Will this meet my nutrition for the day? Maybe tomorrow I’ll pack something better. Morning routine kicks in: shower, brush, poop, pack bag, grab tea. No time to sit and sip, I carry it with me.

8:45 a.m.: Wheels on the ground

I hop into my WHO-assigned …

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Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

Physician
June 21, 2025

It was early morning—likely the first appointment of the day. The music in the waiting room had not even been turned on yet, and the smell of coffee was just beginning to meet the air. After a few minutes, I was called back to a room and sat in the exam chair, already in scrubs and mentally preparing to scurry off to work right after. In fact, I was already …

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How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 20, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Physician executive Sreeram Mullankandy discusses his article, “Bridging the digital divide: Addressing health inequities through home-based AI solutions.” The conversation highlights that while the future of health care delivery is moving into …

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Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

Physician
June 20, 2025

I’ve felt an overwhelming need to write for about a month now. I struggled to find the right words as recent events in medicine and society have created a constant state of confusion and distress. Most notably, I have found it increasingly difficult to understand or process how some medical professionals can remain silent or indifferent in the face of ethical crises. At times, the anger this evokes leads me …

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What if medicine had an exit interview?

Conditions
June 20, 2025

They left quietly. Logged their last note. Disconnected their badge. Maybe cleared out a drawer, maybe not. And just like that, another clinician walked away from medicine. No exit interview. No debrief. No conversation about what led up to that final decision. Just silence.

In most professions, when someone resigns, leadership wants to know why. What worked? What didn’t? What could we do better next time? But in medicine? We barely …

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Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

Physician
June 20, 2025

Imagine assembling an IKEA bookshelf with instructions in 12 languages, missing pages, and screws that cost vastly different amounts depending on which store you went to, unbeknownst to you. Then, after assembling it, you discover you’ll be charged even more because you used an Allen wrench.

That’s a standard experience for Americans navigating the health care ecosystem—one that feels deliberately designed to create confusion and drain bank accounts.

The numbers speak for …

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From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

Physician
June 20, 2025

I’ve lived a full life. A hard one. A beautiful one. A complicated one. And now, at 61, I’m finally beginning to live an honest one.

I was built in survival mode. Growing up as a Korean American boy in Central Texas—often the only Asian face in the room—my earliest years taught me that difference could either be celebrated… or punished. At first, it was celebrated. I flourished. But a move …

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