Joseph Fennelly is an internal medicine physician.

Taking courage to heart and to the heart of medicine

Physician
April 9, 2022

Few individuals are called upon to be heroes like Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy who, in choosing to stay and fight a massive, invading army, faces a real possibility of imprisonment and death. This is true courage.

Within the medical profession, there are also wars to be fought that require true courage. One thinks of the late Dr. Paul Farmer, who worked tirelessly throughout his career to bring high-quality health care to …

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Taking courage to heart and to the heart of medicine

Getting vaccinated as a gift to others

Physician
October 5, 2021

The anti-vaccine movement has led to a profound increase in disease and deaths, overtaxed hospitals, and drastically marginalized care for others with serious illnesses. This reality reflects a more profound cultural problem in our country. Namely the need for more innovative and creative ways to rediscover our obligation to each other to get vaccinated and to follow the best that science can offer.

No longer do we share what Alexis de …

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Getting vaccinated as a gift to others

I had to be there for this patient’s last breath

Physician
January 13, 2020

It’s the winter of 1993. A cold, snowy day. Windy. A blizzard. The phone rings.

I’m not on call for my patients today — except for one. Daisy has been in my care since the early 1970s, and given the risk that she may suffer a serious downturn, I’ve instructed her nursing home to call me whenever necessary.

This is that call. Daisy, my dear lady, the old artist, is dying.

Throughout her …

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I had to be there for this patient’s last breath