Childhood obesity is not just about kids outgrowing their clothes faster than their parents can buy them— it’s a growing public health crisis. If we don’t step in now, the next generation might need bigger coats and even bigger health care …
Category: KevinMD
Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Physician assistant David Olson discusses his article, “Taking a break from medicine: a journey to rediscover joy and purpose.” He describes feeling trapped in…
Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
In a clinic in India, I once watched a young mother wait for hours to be seen, clutching her child and a paper folder filled with years of handwritten notes. There was no digital health record, no streamlined triage system—just patience, resilience, an…
Why nurses are the true heroes of my 25-year medical journey
Since my training days in the Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency at Ohio State University Medical Center and Columbus Children’s Hospital (1996–2000), to my days in private practice (2000–2008), to my days practicing as a hospita…
What independent bookstores and private practice doctors teach us about human connection
An excerpt from Narrative Medicine: New and Selected Essays. One of my adult daughters recently reminded me of a cherished memory. When she was about four years old, we spent a few hours together at a small, independently owned bookstore. I selected bo…
How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients
Poisoned puppies, rats on cocaine, transgender mice: these might sound like the beginning of a bizarre joke, but they’re at the center of growing political attacks on medical and scientific research. Senator Ted Cruz calls it the “woke nons…
The preceptor paradox: PAs get the nod while NPs are sidelined
Let’s talk about a trend I’m seeing—and honestly, I can’t stay quiet about it anymore. Across the country, more and more NP programs are telling highly experienced family nurse practitioners (FNPs) working in acute care settings that …
Within the white walls of silence
Silence is a prison that locks away the truth, hiding it in the shadows of life. Words yearn to be spoken, but are instead swallowed whole. It’s a safer alternative than facing an empty void. Your gaze is directed elsewhere, avoiding the person w…
Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors’ well-being [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Physician advocate and physical therapist Kim Downey, physician coach Erin Hurley, and patient advocate Dawn Veselka discuss their article, “Spreading hope one card …
Why female physicians are done asking for permission
Today I want to speak into something we don’t talk about enough. In a world where female physicians are constantly pulled in every direction—as doctors, mothers, wives, daughters—we often forget our own personhood. Between closing charts, answeri…
