I can hear my husband chuckling from the cavern of journal piles and stacks of free conference tote bags he refers to as his home office. “I am looking at a graph of your publications,” he calls out to me as I putter around the house. An inauspicious start.
As I look over his shoulder at the laptop screen, he shows the tiny dot representing my singular publication—work I did as …
“Mom, when I walk in the room, all they see is a deviant Black man.”
Those were the words my transgender daughter said to me after a recent visit with her primary care physician. She felt like everyone was judging her, and the doctor acted like she had a contagious disease. He was also preoccupied with her name choice and whether she would be getting a “sex change” surgery, and he …
Recently, I had the privilege of being shadowed by a medical student who is interested in becoming a pediatric critical care medicine physician like I am. On the day she came to observe me, we were navigating a busy and heartbreaking time in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). I was curious how the experience would affect her and her decision, but I figured it was as good of a …
Physicians are often seen as pillars of strength, guiding patients through their most vulnerable moments. However, behind the white coats and the stethoscopes lies a troubling reality: an alarming rise in physician burnout.
In the U.S., data from the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic found that physician burnout has reached 54 percent, compared to the 45 percent reported in a similar study conducted in 2011; this translates to an …
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Join Ron M. Aryel, a pediatrician whose journey challenges conventional views on insurance companies and electronic medical records (EMRs). Ron shares his remarkable story of transforming his practice in Reno, Nevada, into a …
Lizzie is a 13-year-old with a great sense of humor.
She tells it like it is, especially to her Mom, Jackie, who admits to being a bit of an Almond Mom (the parent who is stuck in a weight-focused diet culture). Jackie leads a very healthy lifestyle and has never had to deal with being overweight. Jackie is different from other Moms I work with because she isn’t telling me that …
Is it time to reconsider the age of medical consent for teens? This is a question I have been asking myself as my children are approaching 18. For many years, I’ve dreaded the thought of my medically challenging child turning 18 and suddenly being thrust into the not-so-warm and fuzzy adult world. I have nightmares about her navigating insurance. I cannot visualize my very passive and indecisive child on the …
I am a pediatrician who trained in a residency program that taught us insurance companies were evil entities intent on profits over patient care. As ICD codes and CPT codes expanded, my colleagues complained that these were ways insurers could deny care and keep them from making a living. When electronic medical records (EMR) entered the scene, many doctors complained again about the tyranny of spending all their time typing …
In the ever-evolving landscape of modern health care, physicians often grapple with myths and misconceptions that can hinder our ability to provide the best possible care to our patients. As we stand at the precipice of change in 2023, it’s vital to confront these fallacies with courage, humility, and self-awareness. The path to a better health care system is paved with the stones of truth found in the counterpoints to …
My son was born in a small community hospital with breathing and heart issues requiring transfer to a children’s hospital several hundred miles away. I arrived at the children’s hospital, worried, exhausted, and overwhelmed many hours after he did. Everything had happened so quickly my head was spinning.
After I checked on my son, I was directed to the Ronald McDonald house. I arrived in the wee hours of the morning …
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Join Marc Arginteanu, a neurosurgeon, as we delve into a 2023 study revealing the alarming effects of social media and electronic addiction on the developing brains of middle school-aged children. Discover the intricacies …
I have long held the conviction that pediatricians, either in unison or in partnership with hospitals, have the potential to catalyze positive transformation within health care. The vision is clear: pediatricians leading the way, safeguarding health care from detrimental influences and steering it towards a brighter horizon. Yet, despite the rallying cries for innovation—be it through maintaining private practices, embracing direct primary care, or advocating for physician-owned hospitals—there is an …
Children’s hospitals are acclaimed for their outstanding care, and they would be my absolute choice for my child’s hospital needs. Nevertheless, there is a pressing concern that the underlying philosophy of these institutions is shifting, with financial pressures incentivizing competition rather than cooperation in the field of pediatrics. If hospitals were to dominate primary care, it could potentially exacerbate the departure from a value-driven approach, which is crucial for advancing …
My overall feeling is that independent practices cannot survive in isolation, nor can they single-handedly drive the transformation needed for value-based care, population health, or to ensure that the most vulnerable have the primary care access they need. We do require financial partners and investment. However, it’s crucial to ensure that we align with the right partners who share a vision that will continuously improve pediatrics for the long term.
During …
It took four tries, but we synchronized the newest episode of Outlander perfectly. Just outside of Philadelphia, I’m watching the same scene in lockstep with my best friend, Corinne, one thousand miles away in St. Louis. We make all the same faces in response to the dialogue. We roll our eyes together when someone dares to suggest that Claire won’t be able to heal someone who’s sick.
“I’ll honor you until …
The cold and flu season is already causing a surge of viral infections among children in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. Health care providers are urging parents to brace themselves for what’s expected to be another season of COVID-19, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common viruses all circulating at the same time.
In young children, these viruses can cause bronchiolitis – a lung infection which is similar to …
“Today is the first day of the rest of my life!”
I’m sure you’ve heard that many times before; I’m sure I have. But in my obscure point of existence in this endless universe, that statement has never been more accurate than it is today.
Being a physician has been a flame burning inside my chest my entire life. I decided on it when I was three years old, and aside from …
Being a first-generation immigrant growing up in the conservative South, I followed the “traditional” vision board. At the age of 40, I reached the American dream: successful mommy doctor entrepreneur, married, raising three kids, living in an affluent neighborhood, driving an environmentally friendly vehicle, investing in real estate, traveling the world, and making yearly charitable contributions.
I made it! OK, great, now what?
My knee-jerk reaction was: Now you do more.
You work …
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