<span itemprop="author">Karla Lester, MD

Author's posts

The epidemic of narcissistic abuse in the medical field

I didn’t go through that to go through this. “She doesn’t know how to work within a system,” said Snakeskin Shoes. Narcissists grow and thrive in children’s hospitals. Their strategy is to inflict moral injury upon physici…

Surviving a manipulative CEO: my experience with gaslighting

The last time I met with “The King,” I wasn’t planning on meeting with him alone. I never would. It was July 2019, and my family was flying to Europe the next day. “The King” is the former hospital president/CEO, hired by …

My journey parenting with chronic depression as a physician mom

I remember feeling like I was on an island, and any time I separated from her and put her down, I frantically looked around for her, daydreaming she was lost at sea. When I was pregnant, everything was contained and controlled. Her womb gymnastics, eve…

Health care’s 3 epic childhood obesity failures

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of spouting the same old worsening childhood obesity statistics, applying the same dilute and sometimes broken strategy, not getting anywhere, judging myself as a doctor, then shifting the blame to my p…

Our Shakespearean love affair with BMI

I’m standing outside the exam room, reviewing Marcus, my 16-year-old patient’s growth chart, specifically his BMI. It’s up again, and my heart sinks. I feel that all too common rush of frustration and disappointment and, “Why am…

What it takes to build a pediatric weight management program

What they want is power, control, and to take all the credit. In short, they want what you have. Vision. Even more so, the ability to manifest a vison. Even more so, they want your energy. Your passion. “Candy Everybody Wants” by 10,000 Man…