“I early conceived a liking for, and sought every opportunity to be in, a position to relieve the suffering of others.” — Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler In a time of crisis, epidemic or pandemic, “Who ya gonna call?”: An athlete? A bo…
Category: Infectious disease
A young doctor struggles against the emotional devastation of losing a patient
We worked tirelessly attempting to resuscitate this mother of five for almost an hour. Her husband was called, and he notified us that he would be there shortly. In the end, our heroic measures were simply not enough. It is fearful to imagine being tol…
Alfred Hitchcock, COVID-19, and the MacGuffin
The last couple of months in a world with COVID-19 have felt absurd, incomprehensible, like something out of a movie. Most of us hunker down in our homes and wear masks whenever we’re out. Those who work in patient care settings try to limit risk, bo…
Family and medicine: a day in the life during the pandemic
Sunlight creeps through the living room blinds. We have taken to sleeping here now on the giant sectional sofa. Most days, there is no reason to set an alarm. The dog stirs, moves from where he was nestled against one child to stretch out alongside ano…
Pandemic Wedding is the haunting image you will never forget
I am a full-time primary care physician and part-time photographer. When my physician assistant and practice manager asked if she could take last week off to prepare for her daughter’s wedding, naturally, I asked about the plans. Her daughter, a regi…
It doesn’t matter whether it’s COVID or cancer: We need to unite all to cure the one
Like other physicians, the past few months have left me with a multitude of feelings; helplessness, fear, anger, and uncertainty among them. As an oncologist, I’ll confess, there’s another emotion I’ve been grappling with…frustration. As of mid-May, t…
It doesn’t matter whether it’s COVID or cancer: We need to unite all to cure the one
Like other physicians, the past few months have left me with a multitude of feelings; helplessness, fear, anger, and uncertainty among them. As an oncologist, I’ll confess, there’s another emotion I’ve been grappling with…frustration. As of mid-May, t…
Empathy in the age of misinformation
Recently many of my peers in the health care and science professions have found themselves on a new, unexpected frontline in the war against COVID-19: the battle against widespread medical science misinformation on social media. It is important for us…
How the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for class consciousness among physicians
What labor struggles do a grocery worker, custodian, and doctor in the United States have in common? A few months ago, many people’s answers may have been – not much. But ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our shared challenges are becoming ever mor…
How coronavirus took my grandfather’s life
As a first-year internal medicine resident in NYC, the physical and emotional toll this has placed on me is unmeasurable. My attending physician reminds me of someone commanding a battlefield: my “allied” residents, doctors that chose different special…
