Opinions

Neepam Shah (3 Posts)

Writer-in-Training

Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Neepam Shah is a New Jersey-based osteopathic medical student interested in Netflix binges, Spotify's eclectic recommendations, and examining the power structures and cultural trends that shape lived experiences. When he's not in class, you can find him in a Philadelphia coffee shop over-caffeinating and procrastinating.

The Challenges in Uncovering and Addressing Health Disparities Among Asian-Americans

Published by Neepam Shah

Though they make up 5.6 percent of the US population, discussions about Asian-American health appear to be few and far between. According to the Asian-American Health Initiative, a variety of medical and public health scourges disproportionately affect the Asian-American community. Some of these disparities entail disease incidence, while others describe a paucity of certain preventive health measures being delivered to this group.

A New Era for New-Age Medicine

Published by Poorna Sreekumar

Coming from an Indian-American background, yoga and Ayurveda were a part of my life even before yoga pants and juice cleanses became popular. As a child, my parents had all kinds of alternative remedies for common childhood afflictions. Instead of taking Tums for an upset stomach, I drank a concoction of ginger, cumin and lemon to relieve my discomfort. And I still do.

Are Women Really Bad Negotiators? Social Darwinism and the Gender Wage Gap in Medicine

Published by Katharine Lawrence, MD

In 2015, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research published an alarming statistic: on average, women made only 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. Even more alarming was the fact that when the study controlled for qualification or stratified by job title, the gender wage gap persisted. Unfortunately, medicine is not immune to the gender wage gap phenomenon. According to data from the US Census Bureau, women make up one-third of US physicians, but on average make only 69 cents for every dollar earned by their male colleagues. This results in over $56,000 in potential wages lost for women in medicine each year.

Perspective Gained: A Call for End-of-Life Care Training in Medical School

Published by Andrew Schneider

In today’s America, it is well documented that each year, more of our GDP is being devoted to healthcare spending, and a disproportionate amount of that healthcare spending is towards end-of-life care. According to a 2013 report from The Medicare NewsGroup, Medicare spending reached about $554 billion in 2011. This was 21 percent of the total spent on health care in the US that year. About 28 percent of that $554 billion — $170 billion — was spent on patients’ last six months of life.

The 17: What Happens When Abortion is Criminalized Without Exception?

Published by Eden Almasude

In El Salvador, 17 women imprisoned after experiencing miscarriages or stillbirths began a campaign against reproductive injustice. “The 17” were sentenced for up to 40 years in prison for miscarriages or complications during delivery, after being convicted of attempted or aggravated homicide. This was the outcome of a total ban on abortion: young, often unmarried, women of lower socioeconomic status are suspected of inducing illegal abortion when experiencing emergent obstetric complications. Stigma and misogyny play into the result, in which a woman’s health during pregnancy is viewed with distrust.

Gun Violence in the United States: A Missed Opportunity for Physician Leadership

Published by Hannah Decker

Gun violence is a public health crisis. On your average day in America, 297 people are victims of gun violence. They are shot in murders, assaults, suicide attempts and completions and police interventions. 89 of these victims died — seven of which were children. In the first 90 days of 2016, there have been 57 mass shootings. Your average American is now equally as likely to die via firearms as in a car crash.

Shifting Perceptions: Lessons Learned from a Student-Run Clinic

Published by Shilpa Darivemula

Each time we came in for our Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) Medical Clinic, we never knew what to expect. IMANA clinic is a community-based project led by the Albany Medical College Family Medicine Office that connects medical students to the local Muslim population through screening and education clinics at Masjid As-Salaam. This masjid is the central prayer space and community support for many of Albany’s Muslims. The unique quality of this service-learning program is its emphasis on cultural competency and understanding the role of spirituality in medical care.

The High Cost of USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills

Published by Delaney Osborn

One of the major expenses that future doctors face is the cost of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). This test is given in three parts, spread out across a student’s training, in total costing over $3,000. The most expensive item by far is the Step 2 Clinical Skills test, whose registration fee comes in at a whopping $1,275.

GaMed: Gamification of Medical Education

Published by Abigail Cline

Too often medical students lose their motivation because of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment. Medical students should no longer see their education as a challenge to overcome. They should see it as a game that can be won.

Widening the Discussion of Mental Health in Medical School and Beyond

Published by Kathleen Tzan

A fellow student writer recently wrote that she wondered if depression were “just part of life as a medical student.” One of her professors had given a lecture on depression asking students to “think of how many people we knew with the signs of depression listed on his lecture slide” — excluding medical students of course, “because you’ve all got some of these.” There is something so terribly and inherently wrong with that statement.

Kathleen Tzan (2 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Kathleen is a third-year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia. She is strongly interested in holistic and alternative medicine with a focus on primary care and is planning on pursuing a career in Family Medicine.