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Paige Finkelstein Paige Finkelstein (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Paige E. Finkelstein is a second-year medical student at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s combined MD/MPH program. She is the co-founder of health care startup ERinfo.me, a patent-pending mobile application. She received a bachelor of science in chemical engineering and biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014 and hopes to one day pursue a residency in general surgery, then fellowship in surgical oncology.




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.

On Fear, Failure, and the Future: What Medical School Can’t Teach You

Published by Jennifer Hong

As I settle into my second year of medical school, I’m confronted with the fact that I’m one-fourth of the way to an M.D. — that an entire year has passed, and unsurprisingly, all those predictions my deans made at the very beginning came to pass: time flew, we learned more than we thought we ever could, and upon close self-examination, we’re very different from how we were this time last year.

Dr. Ben Carson, Would You Let Me Be Your Doctor?

Published by Hammad Khan

The President of the United States of America cannot be a Muslim. This was the message Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson relayed on national television last week. Carson, who afterwards surged in the polls and saw spikes in campaign donations, went on to add that the religion of Islam is also “unconstitutional” — thus blatantly smearing and demonizing the nearly seven million Americans who identify as Muslims with words that were discriminatory, inflammatory and, somewhat ironically, unconstitutional.

A Question: A Personal Encounter with Gun Violence in America

Published by Aishwarya Rajagopalan

I was sitting in class on Tuesday, October 6, when one of my friends showed me a link about a local college that was under lockdown, as we often do with current events. But this time, after seeing the message, I felt my stomach sink. My heart was in my throat. My mind instantly flooded with thoughts. Did my mom go to work this morning? Was she teaching today? I hadn’t heard from her since last night. The school was the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP).

Dr. Tom Catena: The Man the Nuba Call Jesus Christ

Published by Ghady Rahhal

In the Gospel of Matthew, a man walks up to Jesus and asks him, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus replied by saying to uphold the commandments. The young man assured Jesus that he has kept all of the commandments and asked what else is required from him. In turn, Jesus replied, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

A True Story About Contrast: When Allopaths and Naturopaths Collide

Published by Ibukunoluwa Araoye

I had plenty of time to board the plane, so I casually lounged around in the airport, waiting for the last call to board. He, on the other hand, was frantic because he thought he was going to miss his connecting flight. He barely made it onto the plane, and this is when two worlds collided. I had plenty of time to spare, while he was in a time crunch — this represents the first contrast in a story about contrast.

Volunteering in Medical School

Published by Jordan Perchik

In our undergraduate careers and as far back as high school, we were encouraged, and often required, to volunteer and serve our community. Whether it was a project we believed in or just something to put on our resumes, volunteering was a part of every medical student’s life before enrolling. As classes have grown more hectic and free time becomes scarcer throughout the years, service activities are often cut from the schedule. It is not unusual for medical students to leave behind passions; I know concert violinists who no longer play, Division I athletes who no longer compete, and people who traveled all over the world that never leave the library.

Ria Pal, MD Ria Pal, MD (11 Posts)

Former Editor-in-Chief (2017-2018) and Former Medical Student Editor (2016)

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Ria is a Class of 2018 medical student. She graduated from the University of Rochester with a BS in neuroscience. Her interests include human behavior, social justice work, art, public health, and mnemonics.