A doctor spreads hope on the TED stage

Physician
June 10, 2015
YouTube video

Practicing the art of medicine is my passion.  Whether I am translating poignant patient cases into prose for public education, providing informative commentary on current mental health news to the media, or speaking to students in a lecture hall, the art of medicine takes many forms.

Recently, I was invited to present a TEDx Talk.  TEDx is an independently run event celebrating Technology, Entertainment and Design.  I chose to use …

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A doctor spreads hope on the TED stage

Why this is an exciting time to work in psychiatry

Physician
July 27, 2014

Today, I celebrated mental health care.  And this was after a morning of battling with insurance companies, patching together community care plans, trying to create an inpatient bed for a suicidal patient where none exist, and arguing with agencies for better patient support.

I work on a busy inpatient psychiatric unit that provides a daily reminder of the beauty, heartache, and pain that define living with mental illness.  The diverse stories of …

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Why this is an exciting time to work in psychiatry

Giving feedback and asking for it is vital to progressing medicine

Medical Education
May 10, 2013

Giving and receiving feedback is really hard.  When I left training and joined the faculty at a major medical school last year I found many things about my new position daunting.  Fitting into a well established practice; learning a new system; being a teacher; juggling different services and roles; billing appropriately; and last but not least, giving feedback.

Psychological and logistical hurdles make it challenging to deliver feedback.  Constructively criticizing the …

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Giving feedback and asking for it is vital to progressing medicine

Getting into residency: 5 tips for a dynamic personal statement

Medical Education
April 16, 2013

It’s that time of year when third year medical students are grappling with anxiety as they prepare their residency applications.  Those uncertain feelings of ambivalence can only be assuaged by a successful “match.”  Critical to recruitment committees, but often overlooked by students, are the influential personal statements.

Everybody coming out of medical school has a long list of accomplishments and abilities.  The competition is steep.  A powerful narrative has the potential to …

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Getting into residency: 5 tips for a dynamic personal statement