“The hospital systems ignored us by putting us lowest on the totem pole for the COVID vaccine. The pharmaceutical companies overlooked the strains on us and increased our vaccine prices. The medical supply companies took advantage of us by limi…
Category: Pediatrics
Being a pediatrician did not prepare me for parenting [PODCAST]
“I hope being a parent will now equip me to be a better pediatrician. I hope I can teach them whatever I know about safe sleeping, breastfeeding, and newborn care, but I also hope to acknowledge the reality and struggles of parenting. I hope my s…
Winning at parenting without losing yourself
An excerpt from The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting Without Losing Yourself. My husband and I ordered a special celebratory dinner the night my first book was published. It was an important professional milestone for me, and I was proud of …
Winning at parenting without losing yourself
An excerpt from The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting Without Losing Yourself. My husband and I ordered a special celebratory dinner the night my first book was published. It was an important professional milestone for me, and I was proud of …
Why crying in medicine has made me a stronger, not a weaker, physician
Balding, pale as a ghost, thin and frail, a protruding swollen abdomen. She walks in slowly and unsteady, with her family in tow, and is shown to her exam room. I am the medical student working that day with a surgical oncology attendant, a behemoth in…
Tenacity in children and the 7 instincts
An excerpt from Tenacity in Children: Nurturing the Seven Instincts for Lifetime Success. Did you ever wonder why babies quickly develop a social smile and look you in the eyes? Is it surprising to learn that the muscles in your ears are set within the…
Dying of loneliness: the COVID-19 epidemic in children and adolescents
We stood at the bedside. Our eyes met through plastic goggles and face shields. Wordlessly, we acknowledged a palpable shift. We three pediatric emergency physicians staffed our New York City ER that late fall day, caring for the third teen in a row…
Observing the effects of COVID-19 on the pediatric population
“Everyday, there is a theme to our rounds, and I will ask for your thoughts at the end.” This was the warning our attending physician gave before we went to see our patients on the hospital inpatient floor. As third-year medical students on our first c…
Weight stigma in children and teens [PODCAST]
“Let’s meet in the middle and listen to what’s happening in communities. All across U.S. communities, there are pockets of promise and programs focused on family interventions, behavior change, and health disparities, but there are many obstacles…
We need to stop blaming the doctors
“Why do they book your well-child checks for 15 minutes?” my medical student asked me yesterday. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Gut reaction – like when you laugh instead of cry. I explained that all of our appointments are 15 minutes – well-checks…
