If you’ve had surgery before, you almost certainly remember who your surgeon was. You’ve probably thanked them countless times for getting you through a scary time. Whether they excised your cancerous tissue, repaired your ACL, or removed your inflamed…
As I drove into work this week, I felt the elephant standing on my chest with its heavy foot in the pit of my stomach. Amidst this current global pandemic due to COVID-19, I reminded myself to breathe. The idea of getting closer to the hospital made t…
The impact of science on the well-being on our planet has never been more important than it is now. We are all looking to science and technology in a search for answers and resources. We keep watching television in search of these answers, but we are l…
In this isolated and new existence, we are experiencing a collective grief. A deep, poignant distress caused by bereavement. Apart physically, but together mourning the loss of the world we once knew. Life has distinct stepping stones. Birth, death, ma…
I write to the health care workers and other essential hospital personnel who are at the center of efforts to care for our neighbors during the novel coronavirus pandemic. I am a pulmonary specialist and critical care physician. I am trained to manage…
Two months ago, I kneeled next to Sarah – an avid drinker of chocolate milk, ex-journalist, and new hospice resident – in a nursing homeroom. We had a knack for discussing emotions, and that day, our conversation reached the idea of suffering. Her pain…
On 9/11, firefighters and other first responders rushed in to protect others, and for that, they will always be heroes. Today, health care workers are rushing in to heal those with COVID-19 – at great risk to themselves. Health care workers are the tru…
With the world more or less at a standstill, how do we cope with our needs as human beings? So much has changed in our world in such a short amount of time. For most of us, our rather predictable and standard routines have come to a complete standstill…
Both clinical and direct-to-consumer genetic testing have become significantly less costly and more common, providing people with access to a wealth of information about everything from their ethnicity and family lineage to their risk for certain disea…
When physicians present at medical conferences, we usually start with a slide disclosing any potential conflicts of interest to our audience. I probably need to disclose two things here. First, I’m an infuriating and inexhaustible optimist. Second, I’m…
