As a family physician, guest lecturer at a local medical school, and creator of a pre-med curriculum for young learners, I’m often asked by parents how to support their child who wants to be a doctor. The most important point to remember is that …
Category: Medical school
How narrative medicine heals and why we need more of it
Over 20 years ago, physician and healer, Rita Charon, Columbia University, pioneered a renaissance of physician empathy and listening through what she termed “narrative medicine.” Charon writes, “The effective practice of medicine req…
A transformative year for GME recruitment: How the process has changed forever
The 2020-2021 GME recruitment season was transformative. While it was full of new and old challenges for stakeholders, the impact of the first-ever entirely virtual recruitment season will be substantial and long-lasting. Before COVID-19, the long-stan…
What role does the science of complexity play in medicine? [PODCAST]
“The science of complexity lays a conceptual foundation for understanding “complex adaptive systems.” What all complex adaptive systems have in common is that they are all bound by the same set of physical laws. Their “behavior,” i.e., growth, ma…
Focus medical education on training the whole person [PODCAST]
“Had I understood the nature of my struggles and felt permitted and supported in actively addressing them, I would have been more effective, a better learner, and more fulfilled. After trying out a few clinical settings, a lot of reading, and som…
Applying to medical school in the post-COVID-19 era: What has changed?
The spike in medical school applications during the 2020-2021 cycle surprised most people involved with medical school admissions. COVID-19 erupted full force in the spring of 2020, right in the middle of the admission season for the medical school cla…
The price I paid to be in medicine
A few weeks back, Match Day welcomed smiles and celebratory tears across the nation. This particular match season was fueled by a pandemic and virtual interviewing. I reached out to my friend who got matched to his top internal medicine residency spot …
The price I paid to be in medicine
A few weeks back, Match Day welcomed smiles and celebratory tears across the nation. This particular match season was fueled by a pandemic and virtual interviewing. I reached out to my friend who got matched to his top internal medicine residency spot …
Congratulations on getting accepted into medical school during an unprecedented application cycle
As a fortunate incoming medical student, I would like to congratulate my future physician colleagues on getting accepted into medical school during an unprecedented application cycle. This piece is dedicated to the members of the class of 2025. Like yo…
My first end-of-life conversation [PODCAST]
“Looking back on these words at the end of my rotation, I understand what I had felt, and I feel confident naming it: the futility of medicine. We can comfort and treat patients, but there’s nothing more we can do after a certain point. As a brig…
