Sepsis, multi-organ failure, near death

I fought back to the work I loved.

Life shifted; teaching’s call opened another door.

Not time yet.

The student clinic, a rebirth at the bedside,

Watching timid M1s bloom into confident, caring M3s: pure joy.

Being a doctor, teaching, healing, helping those in need.

Not time yet.

The pure fun of light bulbs igniting in small groups,

Connecting with so many bright, caring young minds,

Knowing medicine’s future is secure through them.

Not time yet.

Another …

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The yearly arrival of Santa Claus was a wonderful ritual of my early childhood years and later as I became a parent and a grandparent. It was exciting and fun, and the production provided mystery and joy. The fact that millions of people look forward to giving without getting accolades for doing so symbolizes the best in human nature. We willingly give credit to a myth for bestowing on those …

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I love medical ethics, and I am fortunate to be able to spend a substantial portion of my professional life working within this growing field. I recently demonstrated that when medical students engage in debates involving bioethics, it improves their tolerance for ambiguity. Medical school, and the years leading up to it, focus mostly on multiple-choice tests – with one correct answer. Licensing exams do the same. The young physician …

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We all need hope. It is powerful and its absence is devastating. Hope allows us to move forward and to dream. Over decades of practice, I have found it to be the most powerful medication I can give a patient.

When we dispense hope, we must be as honest as we are with any treatment. False hope must be vigorously avoided. It is lying. In giving false hope, we might deprive …

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I love stories, either told, written, or listened to. Songs tell stories, as does art. Blogs such as the rich content open so many doors for rich conversations. Telling stories is part of who I am. My father loved to tell them, as did my grandfather, whose name I took. They were called bull-sh*tters – and perhaps some refer to me that way at times. In medicine, I find storytelling …

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