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Ariana Kam (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Boston University School of Medicine

Ariana Kam is a third-year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine. She was a 2019-2020 U.S. Fulbright Scholar based in Australia. Ariana received a Bachelor of Arts in organismic and evolutionary biology and a secondary degree in film/video from Harvard College in 2016.

Up The Cross: The Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre

Published by Ariana Kam

In collaboration with the Australian-American Fulbright Program, I spent 2019-2020 examining the treatment of substance use disorders in Australia through the lens of animation. As part of this project, I created a pair of educational animations focusing on the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Sydney’s Kings Cross. This series, entitled Up the Cross: The Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, examines the founding, protocols and benefits of the MSIC, which was established in 2001.

Applying Lessons from Moby Dick to Medicine

Published by Ashten Duncan, MPH, CPH

Now that I am a little older and deep into my medical education, I realize how well Moby Dick elucidates the values of resilience, interconnectedness and self-renewal in medicine. In fact, there is one “character” that epitomizes the lessons we as health care providers can learn from Melville’s work: Ishmael.

Addressing Mental Health During the COVID-19 Crisis

Published by Jennifer Yoo

In order to flatten the COVID-19 curve, many people have been practicing social distancing and staying at home to avoid possible exposure to carriers and infected individuals. While these measures are necessary to slow the spread of the virus and keep the number of cases at a manageable level, they have several implications for mental health.

Images of Violence Unravel Us — And Our Communities

Published by Anna Ayala

But we should not need to view videos of Black individuals suffering or in pain in order to mobilize. Others, unrecorded and alone, die by the hands of our state. It is time for Americans to turn their gaze away from violent images of Black death and inwards to consider the invisible and not-so-invisible ways we uphold white supremacy every single day.

Drifting: Reflections on the Politics of Home

Published by Pranav Aurora

The histories of Fox Point and Brooklyn reveal how where we call home is deeply intertwined with identity, power and privilege. They tell the story of structural racism — a patterned, “normative, sometimes legalized” process by which communities of color are marginalized. The sequelae of structural racism have dire health implications at the neighborhood-level.

Long Walks in a Short Hall

Published by Brandon Marshall

I commented to the resident how satisfied the attending would be with the efficiency of his work. He just laughed and said “look” as he gestured down to his list of patients. I saw the name, and a sense of dread sank in during the rest of the silent walk down the hall.

A New Beginning

Published by Coco Thomas

I packed up my new backpack, laptop, notebooks and pens early in the morning. The anxiety was palpable as my housemates and I dressed up to make our best impressions on our first day of medical school. This was unfamiliar territory. I had become so accustomed to my hectic routine as a college student by day and a nurse in the emergency department (ED) by night, but what would life be like as a “professional” student?

Step 1 in the Time of COVID

Published by Paavani Reddy

This year, like those before us, we entered our study periods for Step 1 with some trepidation — both about the long hours of studying and the high stakes of the exam. Like those before us, we reassured ourselves that if we put our time in now, we’d be able to move beyond memorizing minutiae to caring for patients in the hospital. And then, unlike those before us, testing centers across the world closed.

Lessons on Coronavirus from My Great Grandpa Saul

Published by Samantha Greissman

Today, my grandparents are older than Saul was when distanced from his family. Now during the coronavirus pandemic, they too are isolated. This time it’s not because they are the fomites, but because I might be. Those big enveloping hugs that grandma lives for and kisses from grandpa will likely become a thing of the past.

496 Beds: Medical Students Call for Action

Published by Hannah Roach

Hahnemann’s doors stay closed and our patients are waiting. While Philadelphia has stopped negotiations, we, as students with futures in health care, cannot accept this. We demand that Freedman provide free use of Hahnemann for the duration of the pandemic.

Non-Traditional

Published by Coco Thomas

This column is for the non-traditionals, like me. We graduated with a goal, worked with a purpose and returned to school with a dream. I left health care for more health care; I switched stethoscopes on my first day of medical school.

Hope for Iraq: A Reflection on Our Current COVID-19 State

Published by Secilia Salem

This year, a new threat has emerged. Across the border in Iran, COVID-19 has killed scores of people and infected many more, including a deputy health minister, prompting the Iraqi government to close the frontier. Iraq reported its first cases in recent weeks, with 1,415 current case numbers, as of April 15, 2020.

Secilia Salem (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

University of California Riverside School of Medicine

Secilia Salem is a first year medical student at University of California, Riverside School of Medicine in Riverside, California class of 2023. In 2018, she graduated from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in physiology & neuroscience and public health. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and being outdoors. After graduating medical school, Secilia would like to pursue a career in family medicine.

in-Training

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