Opinions

Eric Donahue Eric Donahue (9 Posts)

Medical Student Editor

University of Washington School of Medicine

Eric serves as a medical student editor at in-Training and he attends the University of Washington - Class of 2017. In the past he has worked in EMS and international community health. As for the future, a career caring for the community is in the works. He believes writing is an essential expression of human ideas, passion and intelligence. Eric is a husband and father of three.




Our Responsibility Starts on Day One: A Response to Anesthesiologist Dr. Tiffany M. Ingham, MD

Published by Eric Donahue

As physicians-in-training, it is tempting to accept that we have no place to stand up to our colleagues or superiors. That we should just hold our tongues, keep our mouths shut, dodging confrontation like the plague. This is false. From the day you received that acceptance letter in the mail, you committed your life to protecting others. What was it uncle Ben said to Peter Parker? “With great power comes great responsibility.” At times, this might mean getting uncomfortable to do the right thing.

Fifty Shades of Care: Why Doctors Need to Pay More Attention to their Kinky Patients

Published by Christy Duan

On Valentine’s Day weekend last year I found myself at Paddles, the local dungeon in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, for the first time. I was perched at the alcohol-free bar when a man politely introduced himself as a human carpet. He asked that I tread on him and lay on the floor to demonstrate. A professional dominatrix-in-training stepped onto his chest and buried her stilettos deep into his belly. His eyes were closed, and he looked calm — blissful, really. As a medical student, I winced, imagining the arrangement of his delicate organs in relation to her vicious heels.

Book Review: I Am Your Doctor, and This Is My Humble Opinion

Published by Nita Chen, MD

History and the greater emergence of medical presence in popular media have placed physicians on a pedestal where they command significant power and respect. As healers and scholars who are privy to the secrets of the human body, physicians are often expected to shoulder great responsibilities for their fellow human being while still maintaining their own mental well-being.

Do You Really Have Global Health Experience? The Problems with Assigning Social and Professional Capital to Part-Time Global Health Practitioners

Published by Alexander Chaitoff

There is little doubt that many in the world lack access to adequate public health systems, and we know that good global health work can help these individuals. Fortunately, institutions and individuals are becoming increasingly interested in contributing to the field of global health. In fact, global health has become increasingly integrated into medical schools, so even tertiary care centers with little-to-no public health offerings afford their students opportunities to go abroad.

When Alternate Universes Collide: Facing Racial Battle Fatigue as a Black Medical Student

Published by Dorothy Charles

When I started medical school last August, I arrived on campus excited to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a doctor, eager to learn more about the body and its mysteries, and more than a bit nervous. “Medical school,” the physicians in my life told me, “is no joke.” But “everyone survives” they assured me. While I clung to this promise as I made my way through the year, I did so perhaps for different reasons than I first imagined.

Editorial: A Call for Action on Mental Health in Medical Students

Published by Lindsey McDaniel

On March 4, 2015, JAMA Psychiatry published an article entitled “Depression and Suicide Among Physician Trainees: Recommendations for a National Response” calling for “[a] national commitment to support residents and fellows throughout the challenges of medical training.” However, we believe that the term “physician trainees” should also be inclusive of medical students.

What Emma’s Mattress Means for Medicine

Published by Jes Minor

I am a medical student, yes. I am also a survivor of sexual violence. With the recent Columbia University commencement, the surge of articles surrounding the narratives of Emma Sulkowickz and Paul Nungesser prompted me to reflect on this latter identity. When histories of sexual harassment at my school emerged last November, my survivor status edged its way into my path toward doctorhood. I know I will always carry the mark of my trauma with me, and I am learning how I will better empathize with patients because of it.

It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health: A Response to Depression and Suicide Among Physician Trainees

Published by Aishwarya Rajagopalan

As medical students we’re told over and over to treat the whole patient, emphasizing unity of body, mind and spirit, recognizing the things that make us unique: upbringing, culture, values and beliefs. But on the way to achieving this holistic view of our patients, we often lose ourselves in the process. Barraged with metabolic pathways, pathological markers and exams, medical school tends to become a zero sum emotional game.

Go the Distance

Published by Aishwarya Rajagopalan

Have you ever spent a night curled up in a ball of blankets rocking yourself, tears streaming down your cheeks, just wishing you could go to sleep and wake up a couple of months later? As a teenager, I had more of these nights than I did nights of restful sleep. There was no particular trigger. I had an idyllic childhood, growing up in a quiet suburb with a loving, supportive family.

This is You on Depression: Results of our Medical Student Mental Health Survey

Published by Ajay Koti

It has been a little over two years since Kaitlyn Elkins, a second-year medical student at Wake Forest, took her own life. Her death stunned friends and family, who had been largely unaware of her protracted struggle with depression that was ultimately revealed in her suicide note. Kaitlyn’s mother, Rhonda Elkins, dedicated herself relentlessly to advocating for mental health awareness before succumbing to her own grief, committing suicide one year later.

Ajay Koti Ajay Koti (17 Posts)

Columnist and in-Training Staff Member

Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida

Ajay is a pediatric resident and a Class of 2017 graduate of the SELECT MD program at the University of South Florida. He is passionate about delivering primary care to underserved populations—specifically, low-income and homeless patients in urban centers. Ajay will be specializing in pediatrics, with a particular interest in child maltreatment.

M.D. or Bust

Numerous studies have documented that medical students lose empathy during clinical years, becoming jaded and pessimistic. This has been linked not only to diminished enjoyment of our work, but also to worse patient outcomes. My goal is to sustain the humanistic values that drive so many of us to medicine, so that, instead of being quelled by cynicism, our idealism can be refined by wisdom.