Columns

Benjamin Popokh Benjamin Popokh (1 Posts)

Benjamin is a third year medical student at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, class of 2026. In 2021, he graduated from UT Austin (Hook 'Em!) with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Bachelor of Science and Arts in Biology. In his free time, he enjoys running (currently training for a marathon in May 2025!), reading (working through Marcus Aurelius' Meditations), medical etymology, and all things outdoors. After graduating medical school, Benjamin would like to pursue a career in rural Family Medicine, with an additional year of training in Obstetrics.




Tales Behind the Terms: Rickets

Medical Etymology: Tales Behind the Terms is a series of articles discussing the stories, origins and meanings of the words we use every day in medicine. The goal is to explore the history of complex jargon used with patients and learners. In doing so, I hope that we, as physicians in training, will be able to deliver better health care that can be understood and remembered by all. Rickets is a childhood condition that is …

Traditional South Asian Dance: A Medium to Understand the Illness Experience

In disease and in health, our bodies tell stories. But more often than not, these stories are left unheard and unseen. A meaningful method for illuminating untold stories is through traditional/classical dance forms. Dance especially is a space for knowledge and roles to be authentically represented. For marginalized communities in particular, traditional dance has for centuries been a medium for creative expression and healing despite how circumstances and society have complicated their access to care.

Thomas Browne, Jorge Luis Borges and Cultural Fluency

‘Write Rx’ is a narrative medicine column offering ‘prescriptions’ for narrative medicine exercises. Each column entry begins with an introduction to the theme of the entry, offers literary excerpts to expand on that theme and concludes with questions that invite students to explore a corresponding narrative medicine topic. The goal is to offer space for reflection for busy medical students, as well as foster medical students’ communication toolkit in the increasingly complex space of patient care. Topics include cultural fluency, illness cognitions and more.

Long Distance is Really Hard

I went to college in Canada, and whenever I’d think about medical school, I’d romanticize how great moving to the United States would be in terms of opportunities and career development. However, in college, I was in a romantic relationship when I applied to medical schools in the U.S., and with that, I was very cognizant that I’d have to be in a long-distance relationship for at least four years…

Mallory Evans (5 Posts)

Columnist

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine


Mallory Evans is a third-year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in cellular and molecular biology and a minor in German. When not studying, you can find her running many miles on woodland trails, perfecting a black bean burger recipe, or saying answers to Jeopardy! out loud at the TV. One day she hopes to pursue a career in internal medicine and pediatrics and travel to at least one place on every continent.

This is Water

This is Water is an attempt at documenting intentional living. This column will strive to highlight the extraordinary meaning of the often unnoticed, and to greet the hard and joyful parts of the medical school experience with gratitude (even when, especially when, we don't feel like it).