An excerpt from Narrative Medicine: New and Selected Essays.
One of my adult daughters recently reminded me of a cherished memory. When she was about four years old, we spent a few hours together at a small, independently owned bookstore. I selected books straight off the shelves and read to her, and later we joined a circle of children and parents to …
Poisoned puppies, rats on cocaine, transgender mice: these might sound like the beginning of a bizarre joke, but they’re at the center of growing political attacks on medical and scientific research. Senator Ted Cruz calls it the “woke nonsense” of the Biden administration’s “far-left ideology,” and Donald Trump has amplified the message, using a primetime congressional address to claim researchers are attempting to turn mice transgender. In a House committee …
Let’s talk about a trend I’m seeing—and honestly, I can’t stay quiet about it anymore.
Across the country, more and more NP programs are telling highly experienced family nurse practitioners (FNPs) working in acute care settings that they can’t precept ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) students. Meanwhile, those very same programs are approving Physician Assistants to precept ACNP students in those exact same roles.
I’m all for collaboration, and I respect the …
Silence is a prison that locks away the truth,
hiding it in the shadows of life.
Words yearn to be spoken,
but are instead swallowed whole.
It’s a safer alternative
than facing an empty void.
Your gaze is directed elsewhere,
avoiding the person who sits
before you … one who is waiting for
compassion that never arrives.
So, the spaces between words
grow longer and
the disconnect becomes stronger.
Words exchanged fall flat,
drowned out by the ticking clock
and the clicking of a keyboard
as …
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Physician advocate and physical therapist Kim Downey, physician coach Erin Hurley, and patient advocate Dawn Veselka discuss their article, “Spreading hope one card at a time: How small acts of kindness can …
Today I want to speak into something we don’t talk about enough. In a world where female physicians are constantly pulled in every direction—as doctors, mothers, wives, daughters—we often forget our own personhood.
Between closing charts, answering endless patient messages, kissing boo-boos, and making sure every event has the right outfit, we forget to eat, to sleep, to breathe. And no one is doing this to us maliciously—but it happens, because …
When I was a kid, my dad and I used to go on regular weekend hikes up to Henninger Flats at the Eaton Canyon Natural Area in Altadena, California. When we made it to the top, we would sit at one of the wooden benches overlooking the San Gabriel Valley, enjoying our midhike snack, usually a fruit of some sort and a handful of trail mix. On a clear day, …
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world five years ago, and the world seems to be contemplating that history lately. Numerous articles reflect on that time now that we are passing that first major milestone. In many ways, we are still struggling with the fallout and will be for the foreseeable future.
In mid-2021, things started returning to “normal” in the health care setting. The absolute jubilation of having a vaccine available …
Functional precision oncology is taking precision medicine to the next level. It is changing the way we fight cancer by testing a patient’s live tumor outside the body to determine the treatments most likely to work. This approach promises to double cancer response rates, improve survival, and reduce costs. It’s personal, data-driven, and long overdue, yet most cancer centers still don’t offer it.
Even many doctors are unaware that the standard …
Many years ago, I thought I was going to be a mechanical engineer. My studies revolved around case-based learning and field work, all of which I enjoyed immensely. Then I learned about biomedical engineering and decided to go to medical school.
For the first two years of medical school, my education focused on classroom didactics and instruction, with little to no involvement in what was happening with patients in the real …
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Interventional physiatrist Francisco M. Torres discusses his article “The key to longevity: fitness, mindset, and nutrition.” He challenges societal assumptions about inevitable decline after age sixty, arguing that joy, vitality, and strength …
In a nation where the Hippocratic Oath stands as a sacred covenant, one expects the temple of healing to be a fortress of precision, expertise, and unerring competence. Yet, a recent pilgrimage to an academic hospital in our fair city unveiled a scene more akin to a comedy of errors than a sanctuary of science. I am a physician, though I refrain from proclaiming as much to my own doctors, …
Imagine walking through the hospital and seeing a colleague you haven’t worked with in years. The moment your eyes meet, a giant smile spreads across both of your faces—pure, genuine joy.
There’s an instant connection, an unspoken recognition of the experiences you shared. You remember the ease of collaboration, the unshakable trust in each other’s expertise. Teamwork at its best—fluid, energizing, and effective.
But over time, things shift. People move on in …
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Pope Francis passed away this morning at the age of 88. Just weeks ago, he had spent 38 days hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for what was described as “double pneumonia,” before returning to his Vatican apartment to recover.
Had he been an American hospitalized in the U.S., he might not have made it even that far.
As both a geriatric doctor and a patient, I have seen firsthand how the U.S. …
An excerpt from Under the Gun: An ER Doctor’s Cure for America’s Gun Epidemic.
My phone buzzed in the pocket of my blue jeans one Saturday night at around 10:30 p.m. as the standing-room-only crowd at Minute Maid Park, clothed in vibrant orange tones, erupted in cheers. It was game two of the 2019 American League Division Series playoffs between the Houston Astros …
A few months ago, the longshoremen’s union shut down 14 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts. This strike of dockworkers was costing the American economy up to $5 billion per day. The strike lasted 3 days, and there was an agreement to suspend the strike and continue negotiations in early 2025.
One of the issues pertained to restricting the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to load and unload …
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Practicing internist and psychiatrist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article “Criminalizing care: How the system turned on physicians.” He argues that physicians, historically pillars of trust, are increasingly being targeted and criminalized …
Shouting at student physicians is still a thing.
Justified as “teaching by humiliation.”
It is the worst form of “teaching” I have ever encountered.
Being asked questions aggressively,
Being ridiculed if you get the answer wrong,
Being shouted at, scolded.
All in front of other students, colleagues, and patients.
It’s embarrassing, undermining, and it crushes confidence.
It silences your voice.
Makes you question yourself.
Makes you want to cry.
It’s disempowering.
Almost 20 years later, I still remember it.
Six of us, wearing …
Recently, I found myself in need of surgery, a situation I had not faced in many years. The vulnerability I experienced as a patient was more intense than I ever anticipated. Despite my role as a doctor who often considers patients’ emotional well-being, I felt this. This experience brought me face-to-face with the emotional challenges that patients face in a new way. This perspective is crucial for all health care …
Every time I turn on the television, there’s another commercial for a new drug treating a condition I’ve never even heard of.
It’s constant. And honestly, it’s exhausting.
I can’t help but wonder: What happened to real care?
I remember a time, 35, maybe 40 years ago, when doctors knew your name. They looked you in the eye. They read your chart. They listened to what you had to say before deciding. They …
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