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 …
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 …
When people think of electronic health records (EHRs), they assume these digital systems for storing patient information were designed for clinicians. But that is a fallacy. EHRs initially were designed for billing and compliance—and it shows.
Given the original purpose of EHRs, it’s not surprising that clinical workflows are disjointed. The limitations of traditional EHRs have made it more difficult for clinicians to quickly access relevant patient information at the point …
As artificial intelligence gains ground in every aspect of health care, from diagnostics to documentation, an urgent question arises: Are we gaining efficiency at the cost of empathy?
Drawing inspiration from Simon Sinek’s perspective on AI and humanity, this piece explores how health care can embrace innovation without compromising the very heart of medicine.
1. Humanity first, technology second
“I’m not in the AI business. I’m in the humanity business.” – Simon Sinek
AI …
When reviewing poor maternal health outcomes in the U.S., it is clear we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect to make pregnancy safe and healthy for all. A new approach is needed that harnesses the power of molecular advances to bring precision medicine to pregnancy health. Preeclampsia, one of the most dangerous complications in pregnancy, is a disorder of high blood pressure that has eluded the ability to …
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Physician coach and marriage and family therapy graduate student Jillian Rigert discusses her article, “Fear of other people’s opinions nearly killed me. Here’s what freed me.” Jillian shares her harrowing journey through …
Imagine yourself being miserable at work and you have been thinking about quitting for a long time now, but you are just really good at what you do. Your colleagues approached you when they needed advice and even your patients praised and thanked you all the time. Imagine leaving all of this and walking away from years’ worth of hard work.
Initially, you might have felt guilty and isolated for feeling …
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As an early career physician, transitioning from residency or fellowship into attendinghood, or even just contemplating a job change, can feel both exciting and overwhelming. There’s the thrill of stepping into your first “real” job, finally earning a salary that reflects the years you’ve invested. But alongside that excitement often comes anxiety: About finding the right fit, navigating unfamiliar systems, and negotiating a contract you may not fully understand.
Amid all …
Tucked along the edge of the frigid James Bay, Moosonee stands as one of Northern Ontario’s most remote and storied communities—a place often referred to as the “Gateway to the Arctic.” While towns like Thunder Bay or Rainy River echo similar titles, Moosonee carries its own unique distinctions.
This isolated town of about 3,000 people is shaped by its subarctic climate, deep cultural roots, and resilient spirit. Read more…
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Nephrologist Saad S. Alshohaib discusses his article, “Why truth still matters in the courtroom: lessons from a physician witness.” The conversation provides a profound reflection on his decade of experience serving as …
“In the courtroom, I was asked to speak about wounds. But the deepest wounds I saw weren’t just in patients — they were in trust, in truth, and in the silence that follows when no one wants to say what really happened.”
I never aspired to testify in court. Like most physicians, I trained to treat patients — not to evaluate the decisions of others. But then a case came. A …
There’s a sacred irony in medicine: Those who care for hearts often forget their own.
This truth came into sharp focus for me this past weekend, where I found myself in a room of women cardiologists at The American College of Cardiology in D.C.
The women in attendance were brilliant and compassionate. They spend their days pacing hearts, restarting them, and stenting them open. They are experts in life’s most vital rhythm. …
Pain is a signal. It gets our attention. It arrests, alarms, and demands we listen. C.S. Lewis wrote in the problem of pain: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” And what a deaf world we have become.
Pain is physical—a sign of tissue damage. It’s defined as “physical suffering or discomfort caused …
I was on another overnight shift in the OB/GYN emergency department. The air was thick with tension, as it always is when the night is full of contractions, cries, and codes. One woman arrived in active labor — her first baby, frightened eyes, and no family by her side.
Everyone rushed to prepare for the delivery. Monitors beeped. Gloves snapped. Orders flew around the room. The focus was on the baby. …
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