Opinions

Karishma Bhatt Karishma Bhatt (4 Posts)

Writer-in-Training

University of Illinois College of Medicine

Karishma is a Class of 2018 medical student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She majored in English and Psychology at Northwestern University and hopes to go into surgery.




What Sexism in Medicine Looks Like

Published by Karishma Bhatt

These words, spoken by Dr. Gabrielle McMullin, a vascular surgeon in Australia, refer to a recent case wherein a female surgical resident won a case against a surgeon accused of sexually assaulting her in the Melbourne hospital where they both worked. Ironically, winning this workplace harassment lawsuit has made it impossible for the surgical resident, Caroline Tan, to find a job. In the surgical profession, speaking up against assault has resulted in Tan being labeled not as a victim or a brave woman who spoke up, but as a troublemaker.

To Medical Student Activists on the Anniversary of the White Coat Die-In

Published by Jennifer Tsai

One year ago, on December 10, 2014, over 3,000 medical students participated in the National White Coat Die-In. We knelt to the ground, rested our backs on concrete and tile, looked up at the ceiling and contemplated what it meant to be a citizen. We embraced a deafening silence pregnant with the implications of erasure. Our bodies, cloaked in the privilege of a white coat, painted a complicated image of advocacy and appropriation.

#MuslimsSaveLives: An Open Letter to Health Care Leadership

Published by Sriharsha Gowtham

Our American democracy was founded on the promise of freedom of religion, a conviction that invites immigrants from all over the world and enables our country to grow and prosper. Our health care system is strong because we celebrate that diversity — understanding diverse perspectives and cultural practices is fundamental to providing the highest quality of care. Today, hatred and xenophobia have been thrust into our daily lives in a way that degrades our common humanity and impairs our ability to work together.

Cheating in Medical Education: Group-Testing May Have an Advantage

Published by Ibukunoluwa Araoye

My friend, Valerie Schwartz, and I stumbled on the importance of collaborative thinking while we spent our usual afternoon quizzing each other and discussing patient cases during our pediatrics rotation. “At what age can babies start to use non-specific ‘mama’ and ‘dada’?” As I sifted through my knowledge bank, a third friend decided to throw me a lifeline. I thought it was 10 months, he thought it was six months. So, we decided to compromise. We landed on six months after deliberations.

A Comprehensive Strategy to Increase Organ Donation

Published by Ryan Denu

Over 120,000 adults and children are waiting for an organ in the United States, and another patient needing an organ is added to the transplant list every ten minutes. On average, about 20 Americans die every day from the lack of available organs for transplant. Specific to kidney transplant, it has been estimated that by 2015, over 700,000 Americans will have end stage renal disease and over 26 million will have some form of chronic kidney disease.

Ontario’s Health Care Cutbacks are Affecting Medical Students

Published by Andrew Micieli

The Ontario government is cutting physician services. Two rounds of unilateral fee cuts, with the most recent on October 1, saw physician fees cut by 1.3 percent. Different from other public sector employees, physicians have a commitment to patient care, limiting their legal and ethical ability to take job action. As a medical student not currently earning a salary — but rather paying $24,000 a year in tuition — and junior member of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), I can only passively observe the reaction of many doctors in Ontario to these cuts, and the accompanying provincial government’s almost apathetic response.

Physicians Must Not Lag Behind National Policy on Transgender Discrimination

Published by Tehreem Rehman

As a native New Yorker, I was thrilled when last month Governor Cuomo announced plans for an executive order that prohibits discrimination against transgender people. This executive order would apply to issues such as employment and housing, expand existing anti-discrimination protections to include gender identity, transgender status and gender dysphoria.

medical cannabis

Why Floridians Should Vote Yes to Marijuana

Published by Paige Finkelstein

Soon Floridians will be heading to the polls to vote in the upcoming election. Among important positions that will be voted upon, the decision to allow the sale of medical marijuana to qualified patients will be one of them. Currently there are 23 states that legalized the use of medical marijuana, including Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. In the previous general election of 2014, Florida marginally missed legalizing marijuana: 57 percent of voters said yes, but it takes 60 percent to make it into law.

Big Pharma in Medical School

Published by Jon Zaid

Most medical students understand the preclinical years barely resemble anything they will encounter for the remainder of their professional careers. Beginning in the third year, learning is done in the hospitals and the clinics, and is no longer confined to the classrooms and laboratories. During this time, many of us will be thrust into the middle of a complex network of relationships between physicians, nurses, staff, administrators and patients. Our relationship with these various groups is often well-defined. There is, however, a hospital presence that we get little to no information regarding: health industry representatives.

Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk: A Conversation with Transgender People to Discuss Trans Health

Published by Ashley Paige White-Stern

In July 2015, I attended a three-day Movement for Black Lives Convening in Cleveland, Ohio, where I — along with the other attendees — was charged with articulating how I would support making spaces safer and more inclusive toward trans, gender-queer, gender nonconforming, intersex and two-spirit people. On the second day, in a plenary session with approximately 800 people in the auditorium, we were asked to turn to the person next to us and state what we were planning to do when we got home to act on our commitments.

Ashley Paige White-Stern Ashley Paige White-Stern (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Ashley Paige White-Stern is an M2 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Her primary concern is making quality health care available to all people regardless of race, gender identity, age, ability, geography, class, or religion. She believes that medicine is a powerful tool for social change.