Before I walked hospital hallways as a medical student, I walked high school hallways as a science teacher in Houston’s 5th Ward. Each year, the most difficult time for me was graduation. The pride of watching my students, most African American, achie…
By profession, Donna Dillon is a photographer. She wouldn’t like to be described as a “professional” anything, but the quality of her photos make her deserving of the term. But disarray and inertia characterize Donna now, by her own …
Opiates relieve pain and can transport people to their apparent happy place. So does marijuana. Lyrica, the seizure-turned-pain medication, caused enough of a buzz in early study participants that it became a controlled substance. The anesthetic ketam…
The sirens wail as the ambulance approaches, bouncing off New York City skyscrapers and empty storefronts. They swirl around one building, sweeping up old paint chips and dust from centuries-old stairs. Inside on the third floor, a family paces around …
Amaka was a timid-looking girl, tall in stature with a head of braided hair, like myself. She was unassuming and composed at first glance and, if my hypothesis was correct, she could not have been older than me. We were similar, both being of Igbo heri…
Last year Harris poll did a survey asking children ages 8 to 12 years in the U.S., the U.K., and China what they wanted to be when they grew up. In the U.S., “Vlogger” and “YouTube star” ranked number 1 (29%). Other choices were teacher (26%), professi…
“Do all physicians and scientists not on the frontlines of this pandemic feel this, or is it unique to women? Women in medicine and science have long struggled with the sense of never having ‘done enough’ and have pushed themselves ev…
Physicians have not been immune to the economic impact of the pandemic. There have been several furloughs and reductions in RVUs. Although physicians are high earning professionals, many start careers well into their 30s and are saddled with tremendous…
Until recently, I didn’t really understand the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement. I was one of those people who felt, “of course black lives matter, all lives matter.” I mean, that’s exactly why I became a doctor in the first place. To …
Let’s get the jokes out first. Yes, I am a dermatologist who is on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic at my hospital, and no, you do not want me to intubate you. I’m a little different than most dermatologists. I also trained in internal medicine…
