Did the picture above catch your attention? The large Pokemon bean bag belongs to my children. The other object is a plastic bag I made from plastic scraps. I know it’s weird, but I have embraced my off-kilter personality as Dr. Plastic Picker. O…
Category: Infectious disease
5 things doctors can do in the midst of coronavirus
1. Stay up to date on recommendations. Information on the coronavirus changes daily. Last week we were only screening patients with travel history. This week, we’ve realized travel history no longer matters. At first, we assumed those infected would ha…
An emergency physician’s spiritual toolkit to battle COVID-19
These are unprecedented times. As a mid-career ER physician and mom of four kids, COVID-19 has changed everything. Schools are closed, all public events canceled, and the United States has declared a national emergency. There is a heightened sense o…
Coronavirus break playdates? This pediatrician says no.
Strange times right now, huh? The spread of COVID-19 is expected to be massive because the virus is sneaky I live in Maryland, and our schools are shut down statewide due to coronavirus (COVID-19). That means that since I’m a pediatrician, I’ve been pe…
A pathologist’s message to the public
14 years ago, I recited the Hippocratic Oath, and two sections have always stuck with me: “Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the sick” and “I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment.” The events over …
It’s time to pay people to self-quarantine
It’s a devastating fact: More than a million Americans could die from the novel coronavirus. But we can prevent this catastrophe through simple measures like sleeve sneezing, washing our hands, and staying home when we’re sick. The problem …
I thought COVID-19 was overblown. I was wrong.
I’ll admit that a month ago, I thought COVID-19 was going to be another overblown SARS or MERS or even H1N1. I talked about it with my friends in the medical field, and we had a bit of a “been there, done that” attitude. But I was wrong, and in the tim…
America’s hubris in the face of COVID-19
COVID-19 has changed the way we live our lives for at least the foreseeable future. What hasn’t changed in America is the complacency of our people. Living in our self proclaimed “greatest country in the world” comes with many benefit…
A psychiatrist’s mental health advice during a pandemic
Every Saturday is my “self-care Saturday.” As a psychiatrist, I believe that self-care is critical to good mental health. However, as I started my long run on an empty University trail where college students typically abound, my motivation for running …
A COVID-19 physician pep talk
All hands on deck! No one sits this one out. We are all MD/DOs. We all took the same oath, and in unison. Year after year, we graduate as our parents and grandparents shed tears of joy. In those years of sleep-depriving, relationship-straining, self-co…
