Contributing Writer
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Ryan is a Class of 2020 MD/PhD student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He graduated in May 2012 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in molecular biology. He enjoys thinking and writing about health care policy, and is also an avid tennis player, instructor, coach, umpire, and fan.
You’re working at a pediatric primary care clinic and enter the room of a five-year-old boy and his mother for a routine physical. You ask about the child’s general health the past year, his diet, exercise, among other things. Then you start to ask questions relating to the patient’s safety, such as his use of seat belts and helmets, and you start to ask about guns in the home. But then, alarms start to go off …
Dr. Bill Yancey, MD paints a creative yet candid narrative of young resident Addison Wolfe’s maturation as a physician in his book, “The Reluctant Intern.” Based on his own experiences as a physician, Dr. Yancey constructs a platform of fictional realism grounded in the brutal realities of the culture in medicine whilst coloring it with an appropriate dash of creativity. We accompany Dr. Wolfe through the vicissitudes of his entire residency, highlighted through Dr. Yancey’s elegant …
By way of 1992 policy, men who have had sex with men (MSM) any time since 1977 are ineligible for blood donation. We believe the current policy is possibly justified, but certainly inconsistent with other CDC donation policies, and the the American Medical Association and the American Association of Blood Banks appear to agree. Here we will focus primarily on the latter issue, as it pertains to everyone’s health more so than only the degrading feeling that non-infected gay men likely endure when attempting to give lifesaving resources back to their community.
Every day we do some sort of physical activity, whether we realize it or not. From taking the stairs on rounds, helping to transfer patients or retracting for hours during surgery, all of it could be considered physical activity. With this physical activity there is potential for injury especially if you’re unprepared for it. As someone planning on going into Emergency Medicine, I appreciate the value of being prepared for anything. This week we had …
MAD: mnemonics are dangerous. Like many of the concepts taught today in medical school, this opening phrase is an oversimplification of a complicated idea.
“You know, the globus pallidus.” My coaxing words ripened in the air between us. Josh admitted it sounded familiar, but couldn’t quite remember the time or the place. This concerned me, because my friend was a highly accomplished emergency physician, yet he wrinkled his nose at “globus pallidus” like it was a piece of decomposing fruit. “It’s in the brain,” I said helpfully. He smiled, “That’s probably why it sounds familiar.” A few hours before, …
Medicine is the career path I have chosen to pursue, and I feel grateful to live in a city I adore while I work in a field I love. I have long taken for granted that I can make choices about where I want my life to go because of the freedoms I have in this country, because of my family and friends’ support, and because of the resources that are available to me. Ultimately, …
There’s no one moment I remember distinctly when I realized my love for cooking. Cooking has been part of me for as long as I can remember: recipes have long since been abandoned for the spontaneity of Thursday night creations. Tuesdays have become an excuse to make cookies. For my family, like for many, the kitchen was the center of our house. Maybe my love of cooking came early, sitting on the floor in my parent’s apartment banging …
One of the most contentious issues in the debate on medical cannabis concerns the effect of medical cannabis on the brain. Understanding the harms of medical cannabis in relation to the harms produced by conditions which may be ameliorated by its use is vital to understanding its viability as a treatment. For example, the side effect of mild short term memory loss may be vastly outweighed by the boon of its anti-emetic and anti-nausea properties for a cancer patient. …
Between the costly flights to interviews, the awkward nights spent sleeping on a host student’s futon, and the anxiety-filled hours doing what felt like selling myself to admissions committees, I reminded myself that eventually this would all lead me to the bedside, where I would be able to help real patients. I was lucky that I had a supportive network of people who were encouraging; however, with health care having become such a politicized and even toxic …
Any threat to the celebrated individualism of American citizens is usually met with fierce debate — be the enemy mandatory health coverage or a ban on 64-ounce sugary soft drinks. What happens, then, when the results of these individual choices conflicts with the limitations of reality? Obesity was categorized as a disease by the American Medical Association only one year ago but in many ways it defies such neat classification. In the AMA’s own statement …
Does cannabis work as a treatment for some symptoms or conditions? Yes. Has research been conducted to prove that? Yes, more than many people think. High-quality scientific evidence (in the United States and abroad) has been conducted on medical cannabis, showing its efficacy for varying symptoms and conditions, such as neuropathic pain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, such as spasticity and sleep disturbance. Double-blinded placebo controlled studies and observational studies (including many case studies) have …
Contributing Writer and in-Training Staff Member
Albany Medical College
Arielle is currently a Class of 2017 MD candidate at Albany Medical College, and received her BA in Psychology from UCLA. She has a passion for advocacy and quality of life improvement in various fields, and is completing a Distinction in Advocacy in support of federal reclassification of cannabis, which will allow for an increase in cannabinoid research in the United States and may lead to increased safe access to whole-plant cannabis for patients who could potentially benefit from its use.
