Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. “I cry often enough that my kids almost gleefully expect it, checking me for tears during movies or shows, shaking their heads in mock dismay when they see that their prediction is correct. I’ve cried m…
Category: Pediatrics
Don’t become a doctor?
Do not become a doctor. This was the piece of advice my parents gave me when I initially shared my desire to do so. No, neither parent is in the medical field. As I’m finishing medical training today, I fear this will be the advice I will give my…
I received a comprehensive sex education. I still chose abstinence.
Here’s the story of a girl who got a comprehensive sex education and still chose abstinence. That girl was me. Did I gain this knowledge from school? Heavens no. I grew up in the South at the turn of the 21st century. Abstinence-only sex educatio…
I received a comprehensive sex education. I still chose abstinence.
Here’s the story of a girl who got a comprehensive sex education and still chose abstinence. That girl was me. Did I gain this knowledge from school? Heavens no. I grew up in the South at the turn of the 21st century. Abstinence-only sex educatio…
What no one tells you about being a new doctor
We’ve all heard the tired cliché about July being the most dangerous time of the year to go to a hospital. All new interns — freshly minted doctors straight out of medical school — are on the loose. And you better watch out, the tale goes. That&#…
A child psychiatrist on Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter
As a child psychiatrist, it was such a pleasure to see a play about a child who suffers psychologically and finds a way to heal that does not require an epic quest, a magical ability, becoming a princess, or even fixing the problem itself. Sarah Silve…
Creating community solutions for children’s health
Every year, I celebrate and mourn when I officially left my primary care pediatric practice full of patients and parents that I loved to launch my non-profit, Teach a Kid to Fish. May 31, 2008, was the last day of my practice. Had I known what I was in…
Why the baby formula shortage happened
By the end of April 2022, nearly 40 percent of the country’s baby formula ran out of stock, leading to a major baby formula shortage in the United States. The plummeting availability of baby formula has left parents and caregivers anxious as they…
A dead baby in my arms
Five days before this story begins, where everything is upside down, and the end is the beginning. Me, standing in my PICU, slowly approaching that cradle, then removing the medication, one by one, turning off the syringe pumps. Saying out loud the num…
What feelings stir up inside us when we hear of a child’s death?
I wondered if this post needs a trigger warning. Maybe it does. I don’t know now. What feelings stir up inside us when we hear of a child’s death? My first experience with a child dying in front of me was soon after medical school graduatio…
