Louise Aronson, MD, MFA is Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) where she cares for frail older adults in the Care at Home Program and directs the Northern California Geriatrics Education Center and UCSF Medical Humanities. A geriatrician, Louise received
Mr. R. is 68 years old and has not seen a physician in many years. “I’m old school—I never went to the doctor unless something was wrong.” At his age, he is beginning to see his friends develop various ailments and decided a check-up wouldn’t
After scrubbing out of the OR, most surgeons don’t trade their blue scrubs for a fresh white suit covering every inch from head to toe. But most surgeons aren’t M. Sean Grady, MD, who uses that head-to-toe protection in pursuit of a sweet hobby. Outside
The alarm rings through the hallway and resonates with the chorus of vibrating beepers. One can almost feel the adrenaline in the room as everyone perks up their ears, stands up, and rushes out of the room. An emergency is afoot. Someone is dying, or
The brainstem, the gateway between the body and the brain, contains a bundle of functional pathways that move in three dimensions through its three parts: the medulla, pons, and midbrain. Learning to “localize the lesion” in the brainstem involves mapping neurological symptoms onto this tangled
To read about the previous Stanford MedX days, click here: Day 1 and Day 2. The third and last day of MedX started off with a strong cup of coffee and multiple attempts to put up my poster without having it roll back around me.
This is second in a three-article series. To read about Stanford MedX Day 1 first, click here. How do we design better care experiences for both patient and provider? Today at the MedX conference at Stanford, the day started with 2 minutes of silent meditation—in a
This weekend is my first time attending Stanford MedX, a conference designed around innovation in healthcare. I’m here representing Doctors Who Create, and blogging about some of the things that are making me think. One of the things that excited me about this conference is
Dr. Paul Kolker, 82-years old, is a cardiothoracic surgeon, contemporary artist, and attorney based in New York City. His long and illustrious career began when he started school at Yeshiva College in 1954. After scoring in the top 1% of test-takers on the MCAT, he
The mom in my office was exhausted; three weeks without sleeping will not make anyone happy. I was trying to comfort her, making her understand that she has to give up the superwoman syndrome and rest. Leave pride aside and get help for at least
Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH is an internist and preventive medicine physician now affiliated with the University of New Mexico and Physicians for Human Rights. For more than a decade, she has cared for patients, evaluated and treated survivors of torture and sexual violence, taught medical
Looking back at my published work on the covers of The Gerontologist, two underlying themes are diversity and strength in old age. Any student of aging knows that the older population is more diverse than ever, with differences expressed in color, culture, identity, social standing,
“When I Die, Let Me Live” is a podcast where we have the immense privilege of connecting with people about the taboo, fraught, delicate, but universal topic of death. We’ll invite you into the lives of our guests, many of whom are patients, caregivers, and
Dr. Dent Mütter and Dr. Isaac Parrish were both graduates of The University of Pennsylvania as well as members of the College of Physicians. In the late 1850s, the two physicians had an idea of creating a medical museum, however Parrish passed away before their
I’m working on a book project that will focus on medical trainees’ journeys through medicine, especially the non-academic, emotional aspects of their journeys. The dream is for the book to include submissions from medical students and residents all over the world and to be a
His hands are cold As his lifeless body Lies upon the table At the coroner’s office. My mom is beside me Stroking those fingers, Tears rolling in waves Down her cheeks. I watch in horror, The reality is only now Beginning to sink in To
A little over six months ago, I moved from Minnesota to Center City for medical school and it wasn’t long before I loved the area, hot as it was in early August. With my newly adopted life on a bicycle, I discovered the charm of
Chen Zhou is a current third year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Chen has been painting since the age of four. He struggled with reconciling his love for the arts with his decision to pursue medicine as a career. He always felt like
Where is that mysterious place that we send all our “labs” to? Everyday, we round and round on the wards, wake up patients, and poke and prod them to get an idea of what they have and get a sample of their tissue. As the
Nick Dawson is the Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Sibley Innovation Hub and a proponent of human-centered design in health care as a way to create a health system that is more desirable, compassionate and advanced. In the Innovation Hub, he helps lead an innovation