Life at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
No one prepares you for listening to a lecture about how your mother died. Medical students are trained to recognize grief and distress in patients… Read More »22 Years Later: Learning the Biology of My Mother’s Cancer
The power of photons is amazing. In fact, every day, photons are trapped with sensors and converted to matrices of millions of numbers. By rearranging… Read More »Discovering Medicine Through Filmmaking
In some ways, a hospital is a great equalizer. Once you’re admitted, things like employment status or race no longer matter — unless that happens… Read More »The Social Context of Health Care
It’s often said that it is hard to imagine what life must be like for someone until you have walked a mile in his or… Read More »Planned Parenthood’s Effects on Our Community
Countless big and small tragedies occur in the hospital daily. There is the yearning for fresh air, the tedium of one blood draw after another,… Read More »Witnesses of Tragedy in the Hospital
To maintain wellness in the medical profession, wellness must be brought to the forefront as an issue for the medical community. The emphasis on wellness… Read More »Improving Wellness for Health Care Providers
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell observes that in many different fields, it seems to require roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert. By… Read More »Learning from Willard Standiford’s 50 Years in Medicine
When I turned 11, the only thing I wanted for my birthday was a letter from Hogwarts, the magical school from the world of Harry… Read More »Magical Mentorship
In November, I talked about the at-times-excruciating wait for interview invitations. Now that it’s mid-January, the bulk of interviews are over. Several flights later, I’m… Read More »Applying for Residency: Lessons Learned on the Interview Trail
At the proverbial watercooler in teaching hospitals across the world, one hears remarkably similar refrains: “This patient is back again,” “I have no idea why… Read More »Who Has Time to Sleep?