I traveled to Denver to California via train in mid-October. The train is aptly named the California Zephyr. It is a 33-hour trip, across the high mountains of Colorado — with magnificent views of rocky canyons flanking the Colorado River – and …
Category: Infectious disease
Use a little compassion: How we treat and support each other is important
I need to start this blog by saying that these times do try us. I completely understand this as I continue to care for others in what is rapidly becoming the most tenacious public health disaster of my nearly 40 years in nursing. Last week, as I search…
But my children are not vaccinated
Go to the store, support small businesses … But my children are not vaccinated. Go out to eat; buy local … But my children are not vaccinated. Go back to work; go travel… But my children are not vaccinated. Come celebrate, please enjoy … But my c…
To Aaron Rodgers, from a physician and Packers fan
I’m a doctor passionate about public health and public policy born and raised in Wisconsin and educated at the Medical College of Wisconsin (the same institute that bestowed Mr. Rodgers an honorary degree in 2018). I’m also a Packers shareh…
Is misinformation deadlier than the virus?
Lurking in the shadows, it creeps in. Spreading itself across the world. Creeping into all recesses of human civilization, like a slug oozing slime as it moves slowly and surely. A microscopic, spikey ball of evil engineered for killing. Attacking its …
A pregnant mother dies of COVID
In this small town I live in, a funeral procession is a big deal. The hearse is followed by several black cars turning into an array of family and friends cars. All of them roll slowly and sadly to the final destination. I knew all about this funeral. …
COVID ravaged my mother’s body
The day that my 82-year-old mother was scheduled to receive her first COVID vaccine, she was admitted to the intensive care unit, critically ill with COVID pneumonia. It was late January. My siblings and I hadn’t heard from our mother in a few days, an…
To booster or not booster? That is the question.
Gen. Colin Powell , the first Black U.S. secretary of state, passed away this week due to COVID complications. Yes, Powell was fully vaccinated but immunocompromised. However, he had scheduled the booster but was too ill to receive it. After President …
Carry on, my weary one: Persevering in the aftermath [PODCAST]
“Frontline workers may have temporarily experienced a heightened sense of personal success and gratification, but I doubt many of us are still able to feel satisfied at this point, after all the repeated moral injuries and losing so many patients…
Which is better: Psychotherapy using video or in-person while wearing masks?
At the very start of the pandemic last year, I met with a couple of patients in the office while we wore masks. Based on that limited experience, I quickly concluded that seeing each other’s faces was of paramount importance, even if over video. That…
