Riya Sood is a medical student.

Medical school endurance: lessons from training for a 10K

Medical Education
March 11, 2026

During my second year of medical school, I resumed my long-standing hobby of running in an effort to stay physically strong and mentally reset. I enthusiastically signed up for a training program to run my first 10K. In the 12 weeks that followed, I discovered that the process of training to become a runner and training to become a physician share many similar pulses.

The uncertain feeling of readiness

Week one of …

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Medical school endurance: lessons from training for a 10K

Discover how B.K.S. Iyengar transformed yoga into a holistic healing practice

Conditions and Diseases
February 5, 2025

It is a Tuesday morning in the city of Pune, India. The incessant rain has taken a short break. The first floor of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute is alive with a group of students. In a quiet corner, B.K.S. Iyengar is practicing yoga. His skin ripples as he settles into postures, pushing his body to unimaginable limits, but with beauty and grace—poetry, almost. Mr. Iyengar slips into his …

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Discover how B.K.S. Iyengar transformed yoga into a holistic healing practice

How family presence in hospitals can be a lifeline for patients in crisis

Medical Education
November 25, 2024

During my time as a medical student shadowing in the intensive care unit, I met Ms. Stacey, hospitalized with a severe intestinal infection. As I entered her room, I saw her frail form lying amidst a web of tubes and monitors. Her prolonged hospital stay had visibly drained her, leaving her dependent on the vigilant care of both the medical staff and a quiet, devoted man sitting beside her bed—her …

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How family presence in hospitals can be a lifeline for patients in crisis

To care or not to care: reflections on treating incarcerated patients

Medical Education
October 17, 2024

In medical school, we are taught that the well-being of the patient is our highest priority. This principle is central to our training, constantly reinforced through lectures, simulations, and clinical experiences. However, this notion was challenged in an unexpected way when I found myself caring for an incarcerated patient.

The start of the interaction was unsettling. As I approached the patient’s room, I hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Should I …

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To care or not to care: reflections on treating incarcerated patients

Why speaking up in medical school could save lives

Medical Education
August 10, 2024

It was a fresh start to my first day of medical school as a second-year student. With a slightly stronger arsenal of information compared to my first year, the energy was palpable. My team and I huddled in our small conference room, gathered around the table, ready to tackle our first case of the week as part of our team-based learning. The first patient was a 1-year-old female infant presenting …

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Why speaking up in medical school could save lives

The growing abuse of ChatGPT in medical education 

Medical Education
June 19, 2024

“Ms. Lupo is a 39-year-old female presenting to the ED with a chief complaint of unilateral dead arm.” So read a hypothetical patient scenario during my class one day. As a team of first-year medical students, our job was to review the patient’s case, including history of present illness, past medical history, family history, and symptoms, to diagnose and formulate a care plan to treat Ms. Lupo’s arm. Within seconds, …

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The growing abuse of ChatGPT in medical education