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Health care executive David Fischel discusses his article “How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures.” David explains how robotic-assisted systems are overcoming long-standing challenges in endovascular care by improving precision, …
You can live without a nipple, but what if you don’t have to?
Historically, this specialized region of the breast—known as the nipple-areolar complex—was one of the most vital aspects of human anatomy, providing not only nutrition but also immunologic safety for the infant via breastfeeding. The nipple deserves our respect; without it, human society would not exist.
While there are ample supplemental options today that allow people to …
The “pay-play it forward” concept for organ transplantation is simple. Simplistically, the organ donors’ data can be explored, if feasible, to determine incidence or prevalence of organ donations by the organ recipients, thus “paying it forward.” Thereafter, the organ recipients’ data can be explored, if feasible, to determine incidence or prevalence of pledged organ donors among the organ recipients. Finally, the transplant waiting lists’ data can be explored, if feasible, …
Throughout my career as a board-certified colorectal surgeon, I have prided myself on my commitment to providing high-quality patient care and upholding professional integrity. As a long-standing member of a major surgical society, I have always believed in the mission to foster excellence in the field of surgery. However, my relationship with that organization took a challenging turn when I was placed on probation after testifying in a medical malpractice …
When I found out about the summary suspension of my medical license in February, I was terrified and shocked, but I knew it was a mistake. There had not been any hearing. I was not even aware they were charging me until I got the letter.
The allegations involved three patients. I had the cases reviewed by four independent spine surgeons, leaders in the field from stellar institutions; all agreed that …
Everyone deserves informed, compassionate and respectful health care. As medical professionals, we have the profound privilege and responsibility to make a difference in the lives of others.
As a practicing Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in San Francisco, CA, I have dedicated my practice to serving trans women, trans men, non-binary and gender-diverse individuals. Through this practice, I have viewed discrimination at the most basic levels. Patients struggle to find primary care …
In the operating room, I often find myself marveling—not just at the complexity of the human body, but at its intelligence. The way tissues adapt, how cells communicate, how the body heals—it all feels less like machinery and more like music. There’s rhythm. Responsiveness. A kind of attunement.
That word—attunement—has become central to how I think about not only medicine, but life, belief, and even the nature of the universe itself.
As …
There is a kind of silence in hospitals that no overhead page can interrupt. The silence after you have raised a concern, documented it, escalated, and nothing changes. Some physicians endure that silence for years. Some burn out. A few walk out, not in defiance of medicine, but in fidelity to what medicine was supposed to be. And when they do, we often call them disruptive, political, or unprofessional. But …
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Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article, “From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon’s bold career redesign.” She shares the powerful story of a female neurosurgeon who, on the verge of …
“When doctors strike, patients die.” That phrase—flattened into certainty—gets tossed around like a moral verdict. It shows up in op-eds, comment threads, morning rounds. As if to say: there’s no argument. The matter’s settled. You swore an oath.
But what oath, exactly?
Most physicians are taught to revere the Hippocratic Oath, but few have read the original versions. It wasn’t universal. It wasn’t sacred scripture. It forbade surgery. It invoked Apollo and …
You’re in the OR. A colleague, maybe a resident, suggests a different approach. You’ve already considered it. Or maybe it’s not a great suggestion. Either way, it’s hard to hear. You feel your muscles tense and lean away from your colleague, avoiding eye contact. Defensiveness is a common and understandable dynamic.
A common dynamic
In the era of shared decision-making, physicians get all kinds of suggestions—not only from peers, but also from …
Are you serious? It’s 2 a.m., and you take a patient to the OR for what you believe is a bowel obstruction or appendicitis — only to find metastatic cancer, necrotic bowel, or something equally catastrophic. The patient is unstable, anesthesia is struggling to maintain blood pressure, and you can’t simply apply a wound vac and leave the patient in the ICU. This is when your training must take over.
Since …
An excerpt from Heal Your Wound: A Doctor’s Guide For Hard-To-Heal Wounds.
Chronic wounds are more than just a medical issue, they can be a daily challenge that can impact every part of a person’s life. From physical discomfort to emotional stress, these wounds often linger for weeks or months, especially when tied to conditions like diabetes, poor circulation, or limited mobility.
But here is the good news: With the right …
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She was 68. Diabetic. Living alone with chronic osteoarthritis. Like many patients, she carried a story more complex than any preoperative checklist could capture: a long history of opioid dependence, obesity, limited mobility, and no one at home to help her recover.
Her total knee replacement—performed with state-of-the-art robotic precision—was flawless. The surgical plan was executed to perfection. The implant was perfectly aligned. She was discharged on time, per protocol.
But protocol …
When a neurosurgeon tells you she thinks she might want to leave surgery for interior design, you listen closely.
Not because it’s outrageous, but because it’s honest. Many physicians carry similar longings. They wonder whether it’s OK to want a different life.
In medicine, conformity is expected and often a means of survival. Especially for women in male-dominated fields. The unspoken expectation is to blend in, push through, and never question the …
Across America, physicians worry about malpractice litigation—but what happens when state policies unintentionally create a malpractice litigation magnet? New Mexico offers a troubling case study every health care provider should know about.
Between 2019 and 2024, New Mexico lost 248 practicing physicians; for a large state with a small population, this is significant. Rural communities bear the brunt of this exodus. Specialists, surgeons, and primary care doctors alike have left, most …
Imagine yourself being miserable at work and you have been thinking about quitting for a long time now, but you are just really good at what you do. Your colleagues approached you when they needed advice and even your patients praised and thanked you all the time. Imagine leaving all of this and walking away from years’ worth of hard work.
Initially, you might have felt guilty and isolated for feeling …
Medicine has always evolved through a blend of scientific rigor and bold innovation. Over the last century, surgical practice has progressed from risky open procedures to highly controlled, minimally invasive interventions. Laparoscopic surgery marked one such revolution, dramatically enhancing patient outcomes by enabling precision through small incisions. By the 1990s, it had become an essential part of modern surgery.
A similar, albeit slower, evolution has taken place in endovascular care. …
Compared to urban areas, rural communities had a 21 percent higher rate of deaths due to heart disease and a 15 percent higher rate of cancer deaths from 2001 to 2019. The per capita number of general surgeons decreased from 6.4 to 5.2 per 100,000 population (−18 percent) during the same period, further highlighting disparities in rural care.
The recruitment of rural physicians and surgeons remains a challenge. …
It was after dinner at The Goring, just the three of us—Ulla, David Chipp, and me. The kind of dinner where the wine lingers longer than the food, and the conversation slips into the quietly personal.
David, once Reuters’ correspondent in Peking during the Mao years and later editor-in-chief of the Press Association, handed me a gift: a copy of E. M. Forster’s What I believe. Inside, he had written a line …
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