Author's posts
How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) spent his youth deciphering the Mississippi River, a system far more complex than any artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm. He learned that real understanding demands nuance, context, and skepticism. Were he alive today, h…
A nuanced look at the Tuskegee syphilis study [PODCAST]
“The Tuskegee Syphilis Study is widely acknowledged as a violation of ethics today, but the social conditions of the time allowed the grave injustices to happen in plain sight. In the 1930s, social Darwinism emerged as justification for racist pr…
Thoughts from a doctor who runs late
Next time you are stuck in the waiting room of your doctor’s office, read this. A few years ago, a video published by Cleveland Clinic made its way around the internet. It’s a tear-jerker. It’s called Empathy and can be found on YouTu…
Cowardice in the face of coronavirus
When coronavirus exploded, my family was on vacation in Colorado. We played the news nonstop, and it was frightening. I’m a control freak, a planner, and thus my worries were nonstop. What were other hospitals doing to prepare as compared to my own? Wh…
What does sacrifice in medicine really mean?
Just another day as you work into the depths of the night. Medicine engulfs your life as your focus is centered on your responsibilities for tomorrow. You may or may not have time to sit down and enjoy a meal in silence. You may or may not have the opp…
I am an ER doctor on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight but I am counting my blessings
What a time to be alive. What a time to be a new emergency room doctor. Ten months into a hopefully long career and already facing the healthcare battle of my life. I’m in my early 30s. Not exactly the highest risk age group when it comes to the novel …
When should we start having a discussion about palliative and end of life care?
Many of us are learning and refreshing our knowledge of critical care and vent management, but how about acknowledging that one of the most meaningful aspects of the art of medicine is simply to bear witness to, and ease the suffering of our fellow hum…
Practice social distancing so we can #flattenthecurve
Right now, we are all afraid. We’re all afraid of something called COVID-19. Grocery store shelves are empty. People are fighting over toilet paper rolls. It’s beginning to look a little like Armageddon. You’ve seen the photos, heard the stories, watch…
Physicians: Why you need a personal board of directors
Why do you need professional advisors? If you were the CEO of a company pulling in $15 million in top-line revenue, you wouldn’t be managing that organization by yourself, right? You’d have a team of trusted professional advisors in your &#…
Easing a burden, one step at a time
The afternoon that I went for a walk with Linda* for the first time was one of the moments I’ve been proudest of as a hospice volunteer, odd though that may seem. I’d first met Linda a few months prior to that, when the late fall and winter light made …
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