Contributing Writer Emeritus
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Mahesh is a member of the class of 2014 at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Strong interest in the interplay of social and medical ethics; evidence based medicine.
On June 8, 2012, William Ferrell, the pseudonym for a friend I have chosen to write on, passed away. He and I were not terribly close friends. Playing in the marching band together for three years, we would talk about the microcosm of high school and about out political views, but we never invested further in each other’s lives. We may have spoken once in person after graduation. What I remember the most about his …
Yes, medical students have limited technical skills. Yes, they have limited knowledge. But despite these limitations, a medical student can comfort the patient as no other individual can. Many people base their success on what they have accomplished in work, school or family life. However, people rarely achieve this success without developing strong team-working skills. Achieving success on a team enables a person to acquire new skills and work on existing skills. In no other …
On August 1, 2012, while most of the world was tuned into the Summer Olympics underway in London, American women experienced a milestone—and they didn’t seem to notice. Thanks to Facebook’s Timeline feature, I am able to recall that morning clearly: driving into the hospital shortly after 4 a.m. to pre-round on my gynecologic oncology patients, NPR was busy reporting on the scandal that shook competitive badminton. Yet, despite coverage by major media both in …
Once a month during my second year of graduate school, I attended the Ethics Committee Meetings of the University of Michigan Health System and listened to fascinating discussions about the ethical dilemmas and consults requested by various members of the healthcare staff. A member of the committee presented a case, and a discussion followed to reach a potential solution for the case at hand or for future similar cases. One such case comes to mind: …
This morning at a free medical clinic on the East Side of Detroit, I was able to take care of a great man caught in limbo with his health and the health care system. The Robert R. Frank, M.D. Student Run Free Clinic takes care of patients who are living without health insurance. Many of the clinic’s patients have jobs that do not provide health insurance and they generally do not make enough money to purchase …
Working with other individuals toward a common goal has long been the hallmark of maturity both on individual and societal levels. While this simple activity may present as a seemingly innocuous and fundamental skill required of any future healthcare provider, it has a remarkable ability to cause extreme difficulty and frustration for a majority of medical students. The cause of this aggravation stems from a variety of factors inherent of new medical students. Some medical …
Over time, the concept of healthcare has changed dramatically as we discover more about our limits and increase our understanding of how the body works. This understanding has led to longer lives, the ability to live with disease, and increasing the price of healthcare. Healthcare has been a changing dynamic form of care since President Johnson became president, and with the installment of the Medicare and Medicaid program. This program was designed to help those …
We have all been told that there’s no shame in asking for help. Yet asking for help is a hard thing to do for many of us. Shame is a funny thing; it is defined by a fear we have of what others think of us, but yet may come from a fear we have in ourselves, in acknowledging things about ourselves, or a fear in what we actually think of ourselves.
When describing a case of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), one needs look no further than Sue Jackson. Diagnosed in 2002, her symptoms (muscle pain, exhaustion, sleeplessness) are not unusual and her description of life with CFS could be straight out of medical literature. However, Sue also has the unique position of being the mother of two children with chronic fatigue syndrome. In her award-winning CFS blog, Sue chronicles her family’s battles with CFS, Lyme disease, school boards, and physicians alongside their collective triumphs.
Contributing Writer Emeritus
Boston University School of Medicine
Jacob Walker is a member of Boston University School of Medicine's class of 2016. Jacob's passions can be hard to pin down but lie somewhere in the intersections of geriatrics, infectious disease, public health, and game design.
