I just want a few berries. This was my comment that started the earthy discussion. We were visiting with friends who have a thriving garden producing more than they can consume. As we talked about the types of lettuce and greens in the neatly organized…
How do racial issues affect patients’ physical and mental health, and how do we address them during regular visits? For those without the lived experience of the black community, how can we learn and educate ourselves? How are the current protest…
I fixed my gaze across a sea of white coats, scrubs, and face masks, as I took a knee in front of my institution’s hospital. A photographer was walking around capturing historical moments while we spent 10 minutes in silence to remember all the black l…
“Give ‘em out like candy,” advised a senior resident while handing me a stack of small flyers. The text outlined a list of services provided by a nearby community resource center for help with things like housing, food, education, employment, and legal…
Two years ago, my wife and I spent our 20th wedding anniversary in Charleston, SC, a city steeped in national history, both good and bad. Nothing could be more iconic of good history than Fort Sumter, and nothing more iconic of bad history than the Old…
As an Asian male, I grew up with my share of racist encounters, some very ugly and downright scary. Yet I refuse to blame an entire segment of the population for the misdeeds of a few. I refuse to allow circumstances to shape me as a person or my att…
Even before the pandemic, the U.S. health care system needed a significant overhaul. For too long, we have operated in a reactive mode, prioritizing treating illness over ensuring health and wellness. In the post-COVID-19 era, stakes are even higher. O…
Despite major disparities that exist for African Americans in health outcomes and access to care, there is still an alarming lack of African American physicians in the field. This must be addressed with a concerted effort to recruit, admit, and train m…
While waiting for his mother to schedule his next well-child appointment, a young boy sat in our clinic lobby engrossed in his new Reach Out and Read book. He and his family were new to our area, having just moved from Syria a few short months before t…
We are in the midst of a crisis in humanity. While we are still dealing with COVID pandemic and its deleterious health, economic and societal consequences, our troubling past of racism and inequality is rearing its ugly head. The senseless killings at …
