Author's posts
To the patient who left a negative physician review
Greetings. I write briefly to inform you I am aware of your Google Review placed nearly a week ago. I’m not upset, but I must say that I am rather surprised by some of the statements. It is germane to the situation when a patient expresses disple…
A Christian physician’s message to Christian vaccine skeptics
I think it is remarkably irresponsible to have a balm and refuse to use it. I think it is remarkably irresponsible to have a salve and refuse to apply it. I think it is remarkably irresponsible to have a cure and refuse to accept it. And you’d th…
A Black physician’s exhortation to new Black interns
There are some things I wanted to say to you as you officially commence your training that I wish I had been told. Take your training with you. Take the love and support of your family with you. Take the ancestors—their prayers, their struggles, the…
Physicians of color need student loan forgiveness
I urge the president to use executive action to cancel student debt. As president, he can take immediate action on student debt which would be a lifeline for students, parents, and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic is a health crisis like we have n…
The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are eternal
She was rather calm during her visit. It was the first time we’d met, and she was establishing primary care with our office and me. We were both delighted to learn she was from a small Georgia town not too far from where I previously practiced, and w…
Are political physicians dangerous?
We are accustomed in the profession of medicine to be in the position to care for and serve people from a variety of disparate occupational backgrounds and from all facets of society. We serve the poor. We care for the privileged. We are destined, a…
America is a patient and she is sick
The trees are briskly bare. The weather is changing. The days of sunshine are a thing of the past. A virus is raging in vehement form and remarkable fashion throughout the land, and we are so moved. We are moved to anger. We are moved to change. W…
Conversations with 3 COVID-19 survivors
The ability to exam patients nowadays is supremely limited due to virtual conferencing platforms being used more and more to see patients in our office. My office is now different. We hear so much about death on social media sites, the news, and in rea…
This king of all viral syndromes is here
We are still in the office. I go daily, either dressed in scrubs or shirt and tie, in an effort to maintain some sense of normalcy. I can feel the anguish of staff who themselves are deemed “essential.” Their apprehension about the possibilities of …
Black Man Syndrome: in memory of Bryan Gowdy
He came to the office in search of help as many patients do, but the circumstances that compelled him to seek medical attention were all too similar to me. I’ve seen it time and again. He said that he couldn’t sleep at one visit. At another, his blood …
