During college and medical school, my summer employment acquainted me with members of organized crime families. Now, reflecting on my full career as a primary care clinician, geriatrician, and researcher on health care delivery improvement, I have disc…
“Were you on the hurricane emails this weekend?” This was not the question I expected to start the week. I came to Raleigh, North Carolina to spend part of my fourth year of medical school as special assistant to Dr. Mandy Cohen, the secret…
Sometimes referred to as “right-to-die,” “physician-assisted suicide” laws make it possible for terminally ill patients to use prescribed medications to end their lives instead of facing a protracted death. The latest state to p…
According to Wikipedia, a livestock guardian dog is a type of pastoral dog bred for the purpose of protecting livestock from predators. If only our doctors had these noble creatures to protect them from the predators of the world, to alert them when th…
One big life event for me was having my son Matthew during medical school. It has been a fulfilling and interesting journey. I met my husband Andrew during college, and we were lucky to matriculate together at the University of Minnesota Medical School…
Lately, I have been contemplating the growing political divide in this country. We seem perpetually locked in a state of partisan gridlock. Our nation is stuck in a continuous news cycle dominated by party politics. This perpetuates party divisions and…
A swimming pool. Most of a Tesla. Not nearly enough to have your kid swapped out during their sham SAT test. Nor would an ICU bill for a stay that resulted in survival — $48,744 is the cost of that. What costs an alarming amount more is the bill the US…
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. We are just now beginning to recognize the impact of isolation and loneliness on the health of our patients. Recent cultural and societal changes have led to markedly incre…
When a baby is born, people stop acting like themselves. Gruff grown-ups make goofy faces at infants. Nostalgic moms share their birthing experiences with pregnant strangers. Shy kids clamber onto strollers of babies they don’t know, just to coo at new…
If you have worked in the hospital setting for any length of time, you likely are aware of the physicians’ lounge. It’s the protected space where the hard-working medical staff can escape to catch a break or grab a hot beverage. The physicians…
