Category: Infectious disease

After you finish reading articles on the internet, I will be here to treat you

With the rise of the internet, people started exploring ways to get medical advice online. The medical community was initially humored by this development, thinking it is a cute way for patients to look up their symptoms before coming to see us, their …

Why direct primary care is thriving in COVID-19

I grew up a New York Yankees baseball fan in the fifties and sixties. Among the many stars on the Yankees, none became more famous for one-liners and quips than #8, Yogi Berra.  Yogi’s famous reminder, “It ain’t over til it’s over,” seems so fitt…

I’m a physician during a pandemic. Please don’t ask me how I’m doing.

When I wear a mask over my face, I am protecting both of us. When I wear a mask over my feelings, I am protecting both of us, too. When you ask me, “How are you doing?” this is why I have no answer. Four days a week, I have a (currently mos…

In this pandemic, the reality is bigger than any headline

In January, we learned of an emerging threat in China, a variant of the frightening SARS virus, but worse—more infectious. Since then, we learned China, the first to both see and successfully manage its outbreak, seriously under-detected the disease. A…

COVID is not a great equalizer

Some media outlets and public figures have heralded the ongoing pandemic as a great equalizer, referencing the pathogen’s indiscriminate spread and disregard for national borders and tax brackets. The sobering mortality statistics, however, dispe…

I have been thinking a lot about Dr. Lorna Breen

Dr. Lorna Breen, an ER physician in New York City, killed herself after working the front lines in the pandemic.  Her death has created a call to action.  The headlines read that healthcare workers are suffering; they are heroes; they need support.  Dr…

The safe return to elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital for the economic viability of health systems

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. It is the ultimate irony that health care professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are among the highest risk, not only for exposure to the deadly v…

Will the pandemic derail medical students’ career paths?

As I sit here and stare at my computer screen for the 11th hour today, my attention has drifted from my hypothetical study material to reality. Over the past two months, I’ve spent hours on WebEx lectures as opposed to learning from patients, hours on …

Please avoid getting sucked into polarized binary thought

A number of people have asked my take on Plandemic and a viral interview of a couple of docs in Bakersfield who challenge conventional wisdom on COVID. Part of me feels like I shouldn’t amplify the chatter. But maybe I can type something slightly antiv…

COVID-19 as a threat to wellness

I believe physician wellness is essential to an effective doctor-patient relationship and an optimal healing environment. Thus, I approached my intern year with a sense of curiosity about what wellness would look like during a time that is well-known t…