“Although technology and disruptive innovation theoretically diminish systemic barriers and geographic isolation, in practice, they frequently widen chasms in access for vulnerable populations. The reality is telemedicine disproportionately cater…
Category: Infectious disease
It’s time to return civility to medical discourse
I was scrolling through Facebook when it popped up. “Live! America’s Frontline Doctors address COVID-19.” A group of physicians in white coats stood before the Supreme Court, speaking into a microphone. As I stopped to watch, I was surprised to see sev…
A post-COVID medical world
As we navigate everyday life in the midst of battling COVID-19, our thoughts naturally migrate to what medicine might look like post viral pandemic. As the new norms of social distancing, virtual meetings, and little to no human contact continue, we ca…
A sober emergency physician returns to work, just in time to face the COVID-19 pandemic
An excerpt from Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctor’s Journey of Recovery. As if I needed more reminders of my imperfections, I had Maggie and the Kidney Stone Lady, forever. Little Maggie, the cute five-year-old from early in my career who came …
How COVID-19 worsens digital eye strain
While retailers have been struggling with business after lockdown, optometrists have noticed something rather unexpected. COVID-19, it seems, has caused the number of people getting eye tests to skyrocket. Pre-COVID, most people came simply because the…
What it’s like to work in long-term care during the pandemic
The worst day of a COVID-19 outbreak in long-term care is the first day. There are tears. How did it get in? How did we fail? How do we tell the families? When does the media show up? There is shame, tremendous shame. Shame that we put on ourselve…
Please listen to those in the trenches
Where have the months of summer gone? The hazy, lazy days of summer to be spent out on the lake, picnicking with friends and family, state fairs, all the fun things we long to take part in. Occasions that should call for one to be present at with antic…
The impact of COVID-19 on human kindness
Human kindness is a trait that, though inherent within our genetic make-up, can also be a learned behavior. The absence of human kindness is blatantly visible to others when a lack of compassion and/or empathy permeates within an interaction with anoth…
6 strategies to help you return to exercise routines safely
If you’ve always been an avid gym-goer, the COVID-19 pandemic may have significantly disrupted your fitness routine as gyms, health clubs and exercise classes were unavailable for months. Getting active again is not only good for your physical health, …
How COVID-19 impacts rural America [PODCAST]
“We all knew this pandemic was going to change how we practiced medicine, but I, personally, was not prepared for how much it would challenge the ‘work-life balance’ that I have spent years carefully maneuvering. Female physicians are often hesit…
