Articles
Behind the Scenes of a Radical New Cancer Cure
Undark Magazine | October 23, 2019
I’ve now treated several patients with the new cancer gene therapy called CAR-T, but there’s still a lot to learn.
Paper Trails: Living and Dying With Fragmented Medical Records
Undark Magazine | September 24, 2018
Patients undergo duplicate procedures — or fail to get them at all — because their medical history is incomplete. Why?
Why It Takes Forever to Get a Doctor’s Appointment
Time | September 12, 2023
Doctors are working harder and longer, all while patients can access them less. We reached this unsustainable state due to fundamentally misaligned division of labor — between human and machine, between doctors and support staff, and between what is paid for and what good medical care requires.
Complicated: Medical Missteps Are Not Inevitable
Health Affairs | July 9, 2018
Much of the time, care teams react to complications instead of preventing them. Here is how the medical system can take responsibility.
You’ll mess up but save the day: advice to new doctors as they start work as interns
STAT News | June 29, 2017
But you will push and push and keep pushing because once in a while something will budge. Once in a while you will push so hard even you are surprised when a barrier falls down.
Medical disrespect
Aeon Magazine | January 29, 2014
Bullying doctors are not just unpleasant, they are dangerous. Can we change the culture of intimidation in our hospitals?
Doctor, will you please lie to me?
Hematology News | April 2, 2019
Looking for hope in the face of terrible news is a common reaction. We tend to be optimists, and we look for a silver lining. We look for the “but.”
Managing a medical emergency — on a budget
Stanford Scope Blog | September 24, 2019
As I write this, Ms. E is still filling out paperwork while her son is making daily phone calls to her insurance company. She is waiting to see if what saved her life will cost her everything else.
Gatekeeper
Hematology News | December 1, 2018
Many people with metastatic cancer say they wouldn’t want invasive treatment near the end of life. But how do we know when it’s the end?
Support for Massachusetts Death with Dignity: what 14 years of data show us
Scientific American | November 3, 2012
The desire for a peaceful death is universal. Fear of death is universal. Fear of suffering while dying is universal. That fear is not a mark of privilege, but of the human condition.
Hematology News
Hard Questions
A column about humanity and ethics in cancer care
Presence | December 2, 2019
“How did I get cancer?” | November 1, 2019
Snapshots of an oncologist | October 2, 2019
Curative intent and palliative care – compatible goals? | September 2, 2019
Illusion of options | August 2, 2019
Whose needs come first – the patient’s or the trial’s? | July 1, 2019
Dear Marisol | June 2, 2019
Blast crisis, no crisis? Caring for the apathetic patient | May 2, 2019
Doctor, will you please lie to me? | April 2, 2019
Charity case | March 1, 2019
Aftermath | February 1, 2019
Should doctors disclose preliminary results? | January 2, 2019
Gatekeeper | December 1, 2018
Information overload | November 1, 2018
The oncologist’s dilemma | October 1, 2018
When is the right time to stop treatment? | September 2, 2018
Am I going to die? | August 2, 2018
Scientific American
Unofficial Prognosis
Perceptions and prescriptions of a medical student
A Graduating Medical Student’s Final Reflections: Running in the Right Direction | May 30, 2015
Resident as Teacher: How to Nurture Strengths in Medical Students? | May 3, 2015
Projection | March 22, 2015
Finding the Right Confidence Interval | February 21, 2015
So, you want to write about medicine? | January 31, 2015
The path of least resistance | January 30, 2015
These agents prevent disease. Why aren’t we using them? | December 31, 2014
What’s so healthy about skepticism? | December 21, 2014
Strange bedfellows | November 29, 2014
It’s a simple question – isn’t it? | November 12, 2014
Reflections of a fourth year medical student | May 6, 2014
Taking sides | March 11, 2014
Disrespect in hospitals isn’t just unpleasant. It’s unsafe | January 29, 2014
Talking shop: when doctors forget to fill in the blanks | November 12, 2013
Because I work in a hospital, I can’t help you | October 8, 2013
But I remember you | July 31, 2013
Watchful waiting | July 3, 2013
From classrooms to hospitals: when medicine doesn’t have all the answers | May 6, 2013
Modern medical terms are still named after Nazi doctors. Can we change it? | November 15, 2012
Support for Massachusetts Death with Dignity: what 14 years of data show us | November 3, 2012
Doctors versus “Big Pharma”: is it justifiable to judge research by its authors? | October 27, 2012
When a patient encounter hits too close to home | October 18, 2012
Convergence (reflections on second year) | October 7, 2012
Study shows gender bias in science is real. Here’s why it matters | September 23, 2012
Unnatural selection: is prenatal testing a triumph for reproductive freedom or brazen discrimination? | September 17, 2012
But who will the doctor confide in? | September 15, 2012
When should medicine talk about race? Part 2: Seven guidelines | August 30, 2012
When should medicine talk about race? | August 25, 2012
The downside of politicians talking about science | August 20, 2012
Why do most medical students support the Affordable Care Act? | August 9, 2012
From live animals to mannequins to human beings: can there ever be an ethical way to practice medical procedures? | July 31, 2012
“Drinking from a firehose:” can research into the human mind help with medical school memorization? | July 26, 2012
Lurkers, de-lurk! Who is reading this blog? | July 5, 2012
Thinking through health care reform: a compilation of diverse perspectives | July 2, 2012
Stigmatizing illness, stigmatizing others | June 27, 2012
Detachment | June 24, 2012
Why Mark Regnerus’ study shouldn’t matter, even if it were the most scientifically robust study in the world | June 16, 2012
Three bizarre tales of medical survivors, and what they can (and cannot) teach us about medicine | June 12, 2012
Are medical schools squashing creativity? Part 2: Lighten up on mandates, and take advantage of the “informal curriculum.” | May 25, 2012
Writings about patients: lessons from first year | May 16, 2012
When practicing on patients can have real consequences | May 7, 2012
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day: the misuse and abuse of the Nazi analogy in modern bioethics | April 19, 2012
Is medical school admission squashing creativity? | April 12, 2012
Words, influence, and identity | April 11, 2012
“Bad doctors” and bad habits. | April 2, 2012
Are medical students really that clueless about health care costs? | March 23, 2012
When a patient is ready to talk about death, but a medical student is not. | March 14, 2012
What single quality predicts a good doctor? | March 8, 2012
The hardest medical school interview question. | February 27, 2012
How (not) to think like a doctor. | February 16, 2012
When does a medical student overstep her boundaries? | January 19, 2012
Science Progress
Unnatural Selection: Is Prenatal Testing a Triumph for Reproductive Freedom – Or Brazen Discrimination? | July 18, 2011
Fishing for Funding: Big data is changing science. Are funding agencies keeping up? | April 28, 2011
The Demoralization Equation: Can Drawing Attention to Math Shortcomings Make Them Worse? | February 9, 2011
(Don’t) Keep it Simple: Why a Culture of Journalism Isn’t Working for Science | November 30, 2010
The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
Staph strain is expanding out of hospitals | August 16, 2010
Artists take on eating disorders | August 11, 2010
Picky eaters fight stigma | August 9, 2010
Pill douses lemur lust | August 9, 2010
Better heart pumps a lasting fix for some | July 31, 2010
Celebrity doctor spreads the word on sickle cell | July 29, 2010
‘Miracle baby’ seems fine | July 19, 2010
Tiny beads speed drug development | July 26, 2010
‘Little miracle’ survives injury | July 26, 2010
Duke steps up superbug program | July 25, 2010
Seriously ill children take a break at camp | July 19, 2010
Genetic testing raises questions of patients’ reactions | July 19, 2010
Tailored therapy seen for smokers | July 11, 2010
Saltwater chemistry boosts mercury in fish | July 5, 2010
Decision-making needn’t suffer with age, NCSU study finds | July 5, 2010
The measure of a man: bonobo or chimp? | June 29, 2010
Dog-flu vaccine gets OK | June 28, 2010
Triangle heat wave, air quality alert persists | June 22, 2010
Duke researcher credits nature with inventing the wheel | June 21, 2010
Drugs keep babies from getting HIV | June 18, 2010
Heat’s on early this year | June 15, 2010