“Today, we got called on a patient in the ICU who recently had a new brain mass removed surgically. The specimen came back positive for an aggressive brain tumor known as glioblastoma multiforme. We discussed his diagnosis and prognosis with him …
Category: Public Health & Policy
How listening is a huge part of what we do for our patients
I spent an hour yesterday with a new patient who has complex repaired congenital heart disease. In our initial conversation, it became apparent she and I had differing agendas. I was on a mission to efficiently evaluate her heart, sort out any ongoing …
Dissecting systemic racism in health care
A couple of months ago, I had a lecture on the “Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health.” I remember looking at the graphs taken from the American Heart Association and noting that the incidence of developing coronary heart disease or …
How NEJM’s ethical recommendations on the fair allocation of scarce medical resources perpetuate inequity
This past March, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published six ethical recommendations to guide the allocation of scarce medical resources during COVID-19. In their second recommendation, they stated that “critical COVID-19 interventions — t…
I can’t breathe: an anesthesiologist’s perspective
I can’t breathe. These words cut to the core of all humans, and shock anesthesiologists. We are trained to continuously listen to and think about breathing. We coach our patients: Take a deep breath! Yes! And another one! We watch our patients’ chests …
Lessons learned from my MPH gap year
Over the course of medical school, I developed a fascination for public health and finding new ways to optimize care delivery to patients. This eventually resulted in me deciding to take a gap year between my third and fourth year to complete a Masters…
Health care’s role in the fight for transgender health
On June 12, 2016, during LGBTQ+ pride month, a gunman opened fire inside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, an LGBTQ+ venue, killing 49 and wounding 53 others. Four years later, on June 12, 2020, the LGBTQ+ community mourned the deaths of Dominique “Rem’mie” F…
Medical students have the responsibility to correct racial inequities
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…
It is time our scientists and physicians lead from the frontlines
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…
A physician awakens to racism in America
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 …
