When we are in need, we crave someone who knows us

Physician
September 11, 2017

During elementary school, I saw my dad mostly on weekends, because he traveled for business during the week. Between watching soccer games and running errands, he never missed an opportunity to tune the radio to Car Talk. He is an engineer with a passion for cars, and Car Talk was his Holy Grail. He would guess what was wrong before the expert hosts spoke, and he was usually right. “Aha, I knew it …

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When we are in need, we crave someone who knows us

We are all connected to the well-being of LGBTQ youth and their families

Physician
August 3, 2016

The morning my patient Evan tried to end his young life, I woke up early to make banana pancakes. It was a warm spring day, and I pushed up the windows in my kitchen. That same morning, Evan opened his window with a different intent. He had argued with his parents the evening before, not unexpected at 16, yet this was different. Evan is transgender, and his parents were not …

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We are all connected to the well-being of LGBTQ youth and their families

After residency: There is so much more to learn

Physician
June 5, 2015

The room hung silent when he was done speaking. It was Monday afternoon and I had just barely woken up from sleeping off my overnight shift in the ICU. A few days prior the poet laureate of Rhode Island, Rick Benjamin, asked me to join a poetry seminar he hosts weekly at a local assisted living community. Despite the ache as I lay my head down that morning, I set …

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After residency: There is so much more to learn

When is it right to share our personal struggles with patients?

Physician
November 15, 2014

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I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was 10 years old, dressed in kid pajamas with sleep still in my eyes. I walked upstairs with a sense of purpose. “I can’t take it anymore,” I told my parents. At that point it had been a year since we found the surgeon who was finally able to offer the chance …

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When is it right to share our personal struggles with patients?