“Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects about 100,000 Americans as an inherited genetic disorder with intermittent exacerbations requiring hospitalization. SCD is also a painful and complicated disease with no single physician specialist that can prov…
Category: Oncology/Hematology
A body part that fills me with a roller coaster of emotion [PODCAST]
“Their absence makes me feel sad, I look around at my peers, envious and curious, Obsessing over when they will show up. When they do, they never seem to live up to expectations, Too small, too uneven, but what’s sure is it’s a sign I’m no longer…
To my patient who is going to lose her hair from chemotherapy [PODCAST]
“I understand that the biggest fear you have about going through chemotherapy is losing your hair. I just want to tell you. You will be fine. Trust me. I know it’s barbaric. Why don’t we have medicines to treat cancer that will not make you lose …
10 colorectal pearls for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Share these gems with your family, friends, and patients. Take the time to reflect on your personal history and encourage yourself and others to get screened when appropriate. 1. The large intestine or the la…
One surgeon’s decision during COVID to finally believe in her long-term survival
For most of my life, I was so busy cramming and training to focus on my nasal profile or my pesky protruding lower left canine. The drive to achieve academically consumed me from a very young age. I staved off self-doubt through study, intense repetiti…
Cancer treatment and tumor-informed residual disease testing [PODCAST]
“Life can feel full of uncertainty when battling cancer, with few guarantees. ‘Is there still cancer in my body?’ and ‘Will it come back?’ are common questions that have long been difficult to answer confidently until rece…
How to convert medical knowledge into digital assets that work for you [PODCAST]
“Instead of trading up for a faster horse by drawing in the exam room, it felt like I’d just built a motor car. I created a new workflow around my digital assets. When patients checked in for a clinic visit, I scanned the chart for their visit di…
Why and how to get a second opinion [PODCAST]
“In the end, the patient-physician relationship is crucial to overall decision-making for any plan of care, treatment, or surgery. There are many variations in the reviewed studies in health care literature as to the cost-effectiveness of second …
Patients need palliative care to manage the pain of sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects about 100,000 Americans as an inherited genetic disorder with intermittent exacerbations requiring hospitalization. SCD is also a painful and complicated disease with no single physician specialist that can provide pai…
When doctors can’t hug
I stood outside the busy ICU room with Gregory’s mom, holding her hand and talking softly, while the team inside removed his breathing tube and prepared him for his final trip home. Gregory was dying from a devastating brain tumor with no known c…
