“If we want to alleviate the fatigue and frustration women physicians are experiencing, we can always start by solving two old problems: (1) All doctors need fewer bureaucratic tasks forced upon them, and (2) women physicians must be able to work…
Category: Pediatrics
The conundrum of feeding our minds and our babies
In 2022, you might have never envisioned that the United States of America would be among other countries struggling to feed its babies. As of the first week of May, more than 40 percent of formula brands are out of stock, and many families are despera…
When it comes to feeding infants, support is best
Breast is best. Fed is best Informed is best. Fed is first. What really is best and first when it comes to infant feeding: support. Support is best. Whether we are talking about infant feeding or frankly anything else related to postpartum or the fourt…
Discriminatory policies criminalize care for transgender youth
I am truly disheartened and frustrated that politics are criminalizing evidence-based medical care for transgender youth. At least seven states proposed anti-trans bills in the first week of 2022, and due to political pressure, some hospitals are closi…
A physician returns to creativity
Medicine as art appealed to me as a child. Working with families to achieve a state of health was an admirable goal—if naïve. I only went to the physician for immunizations and obligatory school physicals during childhood. My mom employed home remedies…
Premature babies grow up. It’s time to pay attention.
Premature babies (a.k.a. preemies) and their families are increasingly becoming a powerful voice in society. Life in and after the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is like being dropped off a cliff. I support the preemie community from pregnancy to …
The visionary pediatrician may soon be an endangered species
If I were writing a book about what it’s like to be a visionary pediatrician speaking up for children’s health, I would title it, The Hate We Get. A few months ago, I received a death threat comment on a TikTok video I posted advocating for COVID vacci…
A physician’s personal great resignation [PODCAST]
“Before retirement, I switched everything I cared about to my personal one and unsubscribed to everything I didn’t care about. For the first few months, I religiously checked my work email. Sure, I was missing important information. I finally wea…
Reversing the impact of the pandemic on childhood obesity
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and communities had to take rapid and decisive action to protect their citizens against this novel virus. While it was yet unclear how dangerous the COVID-19 infection may be to children, their te…
Tips for delivering difficult pediatric diagnoses [PODCAST]
“I remember our first day in the cystic fibrosis clinic like it was yesterday. I cried in the parking garage and struggled to nurse my daughter in the waiting room. And then it happened. That moment is forever etched in my mind. The pediatric pul…
