My tribe consists of competitive overachievers. We used to call them “gunners” in medical school, and Gunners tend to be morning people, or “larks.” Let’s be honest; people are impressed by those who are up at 4 a.m., trai…
Category: surgery
The shoulders of giants
I regretfully told my 65-year-old patient in the preoperative area, “I’m going to have to cancel your case.” We both knew this was coming. He suffered from a large inguinoscrotal hernia that was symptomatic but not dangerous, a condit…
Life and death in the trauma unit [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join Stephen Cohn, a trauma surgeon, and the author of All Bleeding Stops: Life and Death in the Trauma Unit. In this conversation, Stephen shares his experiences and insights into the comp…
A surgeon without health care
I’m squished in an unnaturally upright seat. My elbows slowly develop pressure sores atop rigid armrests, with my wife on one side and a semi-uncomfortable stranger on the other. I stare at my lopsided gray tray table, sporting a Styrofoam cup of…
Life-changing surgery: Embracing my true self
An excerpt from Beautiful Monster: A Becoming. The day of the surgery we show up early to the small clinic. After a brief wait we are taken into the back, where the doctor draws a map of my body-to-be on my now-body, detailing the road to my new life. …
Learning health equity from activists: a paradigm shift for physicians
The practice of evidence-based medicine and lifelong learning are core tenets of medicine. Through courses, conferences, and lectures, physicians have regularly turned to their colleagues for continuing education. For decades, this reliance on physicia…
Inside the life of a transplant physician [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join David Weill, a pulmonary and transplant physician and author of Exhale: Hope, Healing, and a Life in Transplant. In this episode, we explore the emotional and ethical challenges faced …
Mental health matters: lessons from a surgeon’s journey [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join Mohini Dasari, a general surgeon. She shares her personal journey through the demanding world of surgical training, touching on her experiences with mental health challenges, the diffi…
Navigating complex ICU conversations: a trauma surgeon’s perspective
An excerpt from All Bleeding Stops: Life and Death in the Trauma Unit ((Mayo Clinic Press, December 2023). Trauma surgeons, particularly in our roles as directors of a surgical intensive care unit, must frequently chat with families of critically ill p…
Cosmetic surgeons’ contribution to mental health
The global cosmetic surgery market has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years—in 2021, it was valued at $67.3 billion, and projections suggest it will reach a staggering $201 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6 perce…
