How neurologists can repair the home of broken promises
“I broke our only promise,” swelling with guilt, Sarah wept as she stumbled out of the front door. Two years ago, her father asked her to never leave him in a nursing home. They pinky promised.
But how could anyone have predicted what would follow in the upcoming years? His dementia progressively worsened, complicated by falls every three months. Despite balancing his growing needs while also providing for her family, there …
Opium wars to fentanyl crisis: a history of drug conflicts
Drug use has a complicated history in the Western World. Not quite two hundred years ago, starting in the Fall of 1839, Britain attacked the nation of China for having the audacity to ban an addictive substance, opium, that the British were selling to the Chinese people. Opiate addiction was rampant in China at the time, and the emperor had issued a prohibition on the drug. Britain destroyed much …
The growing abuse of ChatGPT in medical education
“Ms. Lupo is a 39-year-old female presenting to the ED with a chief complaint of unilateral dead arm.” So read a hypothetical patient scenario during my class one day. As a team of first-year medical students, our job was to review the patient’s case, including history of present illness, past medical history, family history, and symptoms, to diagnose and formulate a care plan to treat Ms. Lupo’s arm. Within seconds, …
Navigating profit-driven metrics: Upholding core values in medicine
As physicians, many of us were drawn to the medical field by a profound desire to serve humanity and alleviate suffering. We hear buzzwords in corporate work about values-led teams, but in the house of medicine, we have always been led by a strong sense of values. This calling propelled us through the rigorous demands of medical training—endless hours of study, countless lectures, sleepless nights, and missed personal milestones. We …
AI ethics in medical education [PODCAST]
Why most medical malpractice claims never see a courtroom
In my research on the case selection criteria used by plaintiff medical malpractice attorneys, one very prominent plaintiff attorney in Maryland spills the beans. He proudly proclaims, “We, who are plaintiff attorneys, take on medical malpractice caused by doctors, but we only accept 1 out of every 37.5 cases we review.” This is done unselfishly and without appreciation.
Seen another way, 87,000 medical malpractice cases are filed every year in the …
30 years in pain management: Transforming lives beyond opioids
Over thirty years as a physician, I have proudly and intentionally developed my subspecialty in pain management. As an interventional physiatrist, it is my chosen calling to improve the quality of life of people in pain and help them get moving again. I’ve had the privilege of overseeing many remarkable recoveries, including those by patients who had little hope when they first came to my office. Though this has been …
Let’s help grow more intergenerational connections
There are few things more satisfying than seeing young people and older adults interacting with each other and building an effortless sense of community and belonging. Robust communities include all ages. But such spaces need help to develop and thrive.
Global Intergenerational Week, a celebration of the power of bringing together younger and older people for the benefit of all, has completed its third year. Started in Scotland, this positive initiative …
One physician’s rules for recovery from burnout
I suffered through burnout twice in my career. Each episode was similar in that feelings of fatigue, exhaustion, and emotional overwhelm were predominant. Each time I felt like a failure as a mother and a physician. However, each episode of burnout differed by involving different triggers and calling into focus different aspects of my work-life imbalance.
For each episode of burnout, I was able to employ some particular methods to recover. …
Capturing the parent-child bond through music
When Luther Vandross released Dance with My Father in May 2003, he was hospitalized, recovering from a stroke. Despite his condition and minimal promotion, the song quickly became one of the most requested tracks of the time. Its profound emotional impact resonated widely, earning Vandross accolades for Song of the Year and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Vandross was just eight years old when his father …
A social movement to save primary care [PODCAST]
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We welcome family physician Michael Fine alongside insights from medical resident Fatima Khan. Join us as we delve into the transformative journey of the Scituate Health Alliance, spearheaded by Michael, and its pioneering …
A physician’s reflection: Is it time to pass the torch?
I was at a meeting discussing issues concerning upcoming audits by various regulatory agencies and noticed a change that made me aware of the fact that many years have come and gone since I started this journey in administrative and public psychiatry. I was the only man in leadership at this table. I was the second oldest person at this table. Surrounded by a group of younger, intelligent, and energetic …
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Everyone under the big tent: the international medical graduate
The internal medicine community is broad and varied, with a diversity of internal medicine physicians as its foundation. As we move forward as a country and as health care continues to evolve, we must embrace our diversity and afford equal opportunity to all segments of our physician workforce, including our international medical graduates (IMGs). The American College of …
Integrating clinical expertise with business acumen for private practice success
I often find that many doctors come to me with doubts and are grappling with the idea that they don’t know how to manage the business aspects of their private practice. However, in working with them, most come to the realization that the truth is that the skills required to run a successful medical practice are not as foreign as they may think. In fact, they are deeply rooted in …
Understanding obesity beyond lifestyle choices
Recently, media outlets and social media influencers have been on fire with stories about new “miracle” obesity drugs that promise a quick fix for people wanting to lose weight. Lost in this chatter are the life stories of millions of Americans struggling with obesity and its physical and emotional effects. A vital question is being ignored: how can we continue to allow money to determine access to treatment when many …
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Is the health care system broken or designed this way? [PODCAST]
Transforming liver care: the evolution of MASH diagnosis and treatment
The term “revolutionary” is used too often in health care. New imaging modalities, pharmaceutical breakthroughs, advanced medical devices, and artificial intelligence are all regularly proclaimed to be revolutionary to attract interest and attention. But those of us trained in medicine who work in these fields know that revolutions don’t happen—it takes 17 years for new research to reach the translational stage.
In reality, the best we can hope for is …
Medical students are learning to treat others, but who is caring for them?
Imagine being completely consumed by the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Could you do this for a day? How about for a week? What if I asked you to do this all day, every day, for an entire month? Sounds exhausting, right? Medical students are asked to do this for four years. During that time, we navigated a world that was completely new to us in an unfamiliar environment alongside hundreds …
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Why saving interstate telehealth should matter to you
As cancer clinical trialists with sub-specialized practices, we treat patients from across the country. But while they must travel for treatment, there are clear occasions where we recognize that advice and consultation by telephone, video, and patient messaging are perfectly safe and far more convenient and cost-effective.
Telemedicine across state lines was the legal norm during COVID-19. Patients and practitioners quickly recognized that Americans deserved access to physicians unencumbered by …
Past Week
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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What happened to real care in health care?
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ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
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Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
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Medical school admissions are racing toward an AI-driven disaster
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How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
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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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The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
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Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
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How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
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Recent Posts
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Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
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Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
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Why nurses are the true heroes of my 25-year medical journey
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What independent bookstores and private practice doctors teach us about human connection
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How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients
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The preceptor paradox: PAs get the nod while NPs are sidelined
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Past Week
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
-
Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
-
Medical school admissions are racing toward an AI-driven disaster
-
How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Recent Posts
-
Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
-
Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
-
Why nurses are the true heroes of my 25-year medical journey
-
What independent bookstores and private practice doctors teach us about human connection
-
How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients
-
The preceptor paradox: PAs get the nod while NPs are sidelined
-
