I wrote about this topic a few years back, but the recent outbreak of measles has once again ignited the debate of just what the government has the right to do or not do in compelling individual actions in support of public health. This is an old quest…
It wasn’t even nine o’clock when the screen on my laptop suddenly froze. From that moment until my last patient left the building, my clinic had no internet. For my part, the day went pretty smoothly, mostly because of some of my own work habits. It al…
In 1902, a smallpox outbreak infected thousands of people across the northeastern United States. That year, in Massachusetts alone, 2,314 people were infected, and 284 died. This was not unusual for early-twentieth-century Massachusetts: The smallpox v…
When it comes to destroying debt, many of us are familiar with the two most common methods to pay down debt. Many choose the debt snowball method where you pay off your smallest debt first while paying the minimum on others. Once that first debt is gon…
I’m a doctor. And, like most medical professionals, I’m a bad patient. Two years after my last appointment, I got a CTJ, “Come to Jesus” from my doctor. I called his office for a form. I needed proof that I don’t have tertiary syphilis. For my Thai vis…
Amid the contentious dispute over immunization requirements for children, Kelley Watson Snyder stands out: She has been both a recalcitrant skeptic and an ardent proponent of childhood vaccines. Snyder, a Monterey, Calif., mother of two, was a so-calle…
A few months ago, I realized it was time to have a conversation with my tweenage son that I had been dreading. It wasn’t where babies come from. It wasn’t about death or illness or substance abuse. My son, always sensitive and inquisitive, was sitt…
I discovered one of the most important leadership challenges in my first leadership position supervising a staff of doctors and nurses at a hospital: Being able to see our own contribution to problems. I was confident, having been hired because of my s…
Physician Speaking by KevinMD is the only physician-run, all-physician speakers bureau. We are practicing physicians and experienced keynote speakers, highlighting both large-scale events and intimate day-long workshops. Today’s spotlight physician spe…
When our kids were in the 5 to 9 age range, we used to buy each of them a souvenir on our vacations. They always wanted the most expensive item in the store, a great big teddy bear that cost $400. We would tell them no, they needed to pick something le…
