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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 …
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 …
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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 …
I didn’t know them well.
They were primary care doctors on the hospital staff where I served on the Medical Executive Committee. They provided care to the most vulnerable members of our community, both in the hospital and their offices. I feel guilty for not recognizing that each of them was personally suffering, as they took their own lives.
Losing lives of those saving lives is heartbreaking.
Doctors heal people. While most professions …
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General surgeon Arthur Williams discusses his article “A surgeon’s battle with ketamine-induced hallucinations.” He shares an account from his novel of an experience needing a pacemaker for a “janky heart” prone to …
In the previous article, I offered four ways (other than growth) a practice can compensate for declining reimbursements: improve efficiency, boost collection ratio, increase productivity, and consider a practice merger. As promised, here are four more.
Stay focused.
Focused strategies lead to better outcomes and lower costs. It is no accident that the best outcomes and lowest price for open-heart surgery are achieved …
An excerpt from Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General.
“I’ve had two major messages that I’ve tried to get out to the public all my professional life,” Koop proclaimed. “One is to take charge of your own health. The other is that there is no prescription I can give you that is more valuable than knowledge … I’ve tried the non-profit world, …
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