Category: KevinMD

Assisted suicide: a change of heart   

When I was training as a surgeon, I was pro assisted suicide. I believed it was a humane act of kindness and compassion. I imagined myself to be in the place of the other and at times felt if that was me, I’d rather be dead than live with that conditio…

When interviewing, remember it goes both ways

I’ve just completed traveling around the country for residency interviews, so I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to ask and answer personal questions. In my desired specialty of dermatology, a typical interview day consists of sho…

Human trafficking survivors and trauma-informed care [PODCAST]

“As a physician working with human trafficking survivors, I have become accustomed to those with a history of surviving violence. But the patient in question is in my general primary care practice. This should highlight to care providers that the…

Inadequate COVID testing leaves New York City schools vulnerable

New York City has the largest public school system in the country. More than a million students, and tens of thousands of teachers, administrators, and support staff.  If you read the papers, the biggest issue is how to organize teaching. The debate is…

The poignant message in the balloon

After the combination of COVID-19 and George Floyd’s death, it felt like time stood still across the Twin Cities.  As a physician, I couldn’t understand how a pandemic response could be partisan.  However, I became even more shocked at the …

Doctors are killing themselves, and who is taking notice? 

I am a psychiatrist. My field has been marred with human rights violations and treatments that though well-meaning, did not yield the results that were intended. I have always been at the watch and helm of speaking out when I see gaps and places where …

New York City’s COVID-19 outbreak from the eyes of a pulmonary and critical care team’s biostatistician

December 15, 2018. My coworker is moving to California. She’s a statistician for a group of pulmonary and critical care physicians at our New York City hospital, and I’m a statistician who’s trying not to do too many things wrong, only three months int…

A physician learns where the light is

Three months into my intern year, I was asked, “Tell us your name, where you went to medical school, and one thing you have learned about yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic.” For an icebreaker, the question caught me off guard. Moments later, the an…

A message from a pediatric emergency physician: Be kind [PODCAST]

“As I read about Dr. Breen, saddened by the fact that we have been robbed of yet another young, promising, motivated physician, I am reminded that as bad as this pandemic is — and truly believe it is awful — when it gets better (and I have to bel…

A medical student’s story of racism and bias

I am a third-year medical student at what I believe to be the most diverse medical school in the country. Every year our entering class is made up of at least 20 percent of students who identify as underrepresented in medicine. Beyond that, we make it …