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Haad Arif (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

University of California Riverside School of Medicine

Haad Arif is a medical student at the University of California Riverside (UCR) School of Medicine in Riverside, California, Class of 2025. In 2020, he graduated from UCR with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He then pursued his Masters of Business Administration at the UCR A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management before starting his medical school journey. He enjoys playing and coaching rugby and taking care of his bonsai tree in his free time. After graduating medical school, Haad would like to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery.

When Advocating Becomes Difficult: Health Care Professionals and War

Published by Haad Arif

The purpose of this piece is not to assign blame, nor is it to debate the inciting event for the current state of the people in Gaza. Instead, I hope to inspire you, the reader, to set aside any political differences and to lean into your role as both a human and patient advocate. I urge you to speak up in support of our colleagues overseas, who are treating and operating under the threat of death; for history will not judge our silence kindly.

Finding Balance in the Wake of My First Code Stroke

Published by Rohan Bhat

As we got closer to the ED, the excitement evolved into a feeling of discomfort. It was uncomfortable to feel even briefly excited by another person’s misfortune. I felt a sense of disequilibrium as I realized I had strayed from the delicate balance medical students and physicians continually try to find.

A Letter to Pipo

Published by Natalie Mesa

It will soon be over seven years since the last time I saw you. It feels like yesterday we were singing along to your favorite song as you drove me to my weekly dance class.

Betrayal of Selflessness

Published by Sejal Gupta

A bag full of dreams was all my mind possessed, / To leave my mark on the turbulent sands of time and be respected,

A Swim in a Pond on the Wards

Published by Pal Shah

I first wrote to author George Saunders in my senior year of high school. Thankful for everything his writing taught me about empathy, I sought advice as I crossed the “seemingly arbitrary line into adulthood.”

Three Months Since

Published by Eshiemomoh Osilama

Finally, it’s been three months since // He and I were strangers with bad blood, / breathless in bed, / discussing the acts of giving and / receiving as indulgences, / mulling over our motivations and / the contraindications for / charity.

Fragrance

Published by Abdullah A. Memon

I start the day like most of us do: stimulating the needy vessels we call bodies with caffeine. As I open up my coffee jar to dispense ground Turkish coffee beans, I am met with a hint of loving bitterness. It carries a comforting brown sugar warmth that often stirs a sense of weakness given my inherent dependency on this substance but also commands secure boldness through notes of molasses and dark chocolate.

sunflower field below a blue sky and rolling mountains

Heliotropism; towards the sun.

Published by Nima Trivedi

this weekend / I went to the sunflower patch / swinging arms with my mom and sister / starry eyed at the fields of bright gold yellow / nestled in the blue of the mountains around us.

A Sacred Symphony

Published by Chandana Kulkarni

The once-sterile hospital room had become a sacred space, where the raw emotions of love and loss hung in the air. The young daughter, vibrant in her essence but tethered to life support, teetered on the precipice between existence and the inevitable.

My Own Kitchen

Published by Kaitlin Toal

“254?!” I gawk at the glucometer, stunned that Tom’s blood sugar has soared to such heights when it has consistently remained below 125 for the last two weeks. Tom glances up at me with an amused look on his face, clearly entertained by my reaction — “It was probably that pork chop that did it.”

My Top Five Operating Room Mistakes

Published by Sabrina Lazar

My first time in the operating room (OR) was when I was a junior in college. I was beaming under my mask, so excited to shadow and observe my first surgery ever, a riveting and exotic procedure: a planned and standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A friendly circulating nurse that I had been chatting with asked me, “Sabrina, what’s your glove size?”

Wonder

Published by Ceili Hamill

The first thing I noticed entering Betty’s room was her walls. They were papered, nearly from floor to ceiling, with photographs of celebrities. Taylor Swift, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran all stared back at me.

Ceili Hamill (3 Posts)

Writers-in-Training Intern and Contributing Writer

Geisinger College of Health Sciences

Ceili Hamill is a medical student at Geisinger College of Health Sciences in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Class of 2025. In 2020, she graduated from Saint Joseph's University with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Ceili is also a student member of the Health Humanities Consortium and of the Academy for Professionalism in Health Care. She enjoys reading, baking, and playing with her pug Poppy in her free time. After graduating medical school, Ceili would like to pursue a career in pediatrics.