The Broken Ones
Send us the broken, the battered, / “give me your tired, your poor,” / your torn and tattered.
Tag: global health
Lucas is a fourth year medical student at Indiana University School of Medicine in the class of 2021. In 2017, he graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. He enjoys hiking, writing, and playing the piano in his free time. After graduating medical school, Lucas would like to pursue a career in pediatric neurology.
How “It’s” Made — Doctor’s Edition: Comparing American and Chinese Medical Education
Gather a group of American and Chinese first year medical students in one lecture hall, and you will notice some obvious differences right away. The Americans will likely be older with more work experience under their belt already. There will be more women on the Chinese side, and most have been full-time students all their lives. Dig beyond appearances and ask them what their daily curriculum consists of, and you will find even more interesting differences. Although they are two of the world’s largest producers of doctors and healthcare professionals overall, the Chinese medical system greatly differs from its American counterpart in both composition and organization.
The Dangers of Heroism: Medical Workers Are Human, Too.
I am worried that these stories of heroism are harming the very people they celebrate. By creating an ideal “health care worker” as an endlessly altruistic individual, it stigmatizes the medical workers who refuse to take on these risks — even though there are many legitimate reasons not to.
Finding Purpose Amid the Quarantine Chaos
In Nicaragua, where I was born and raised, we routinely stayed at home for dengue outbreaks, violence and hurricanes. I had experienced at least three lockdowns as a child, and now as an adult, I was experiencing another. Although the Nicaraguan lockdowns I experienced happened in the 1990s, the COVID-19 lockdown was still familiar.
Aylan
A mourning sun cries as she tucks away / the night to uncover red and blues / lumps of fabric and skin on gritty sand below.
The Largest Humanitarian Catastrophe of Yemen
I am calling for international solidarity and aid for Yemenis who are currently living in the worst conditions imaginable without clean water, food or shelter. Today in Yemen, there is war, an economic crisis, cholera outbreaks, the Chikungunya virus and COVID-19, all in the same country.
Hope for Iraq: A Reflection on Our Current COVID-19 State
This year, a new threat has emerged. Across the border in Iran, COVID-19 has killed scores of people and infected many more, including a deputy health minister, prompting the Iraqi government to close the frontier. Iraq reported its first cases in recent weeks, with 1,415 current case numbers, as of April 15, 2020.
Medical Students Call to Flatten the Curve on Climate Change: Lessons from COVID-19
The nightmare of the COVID-19 pandemic offers a view of what climate change will impose on our future health system and communities if uncontrolled. As future doctors, on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day we raise our voices in unison to draw attention to the urgency of the climate crisis.
Death Reel
The doctor motioned to sit, turned a chair / to face the monitor. A perfectly lovely office. / Natural light from the barren window / gathered in circles around my feet.
Pandemic Means Everyone
Though there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saipan, the island commonwealth has become a ghost town.
Reflections on My Medical Elective in South Africa
Doing my elective at Klerksdorp-Tshepong (K/T) Hospital Complex in my hometown of Klerksdorp gave me the opportunity to become familiar with the health system, the medical personnel and health-related issues that are prevalent in my community. It also allowed me to draw comparisons between my home country of South Africa and the United Kingdom, where I have undertaken the clinical years of my medical degree.
Coronavirus Exposes Inequities. Now, Let’s Address Them.
From a public health perspective, we in Oregon have nowhere near the number of cases as our northern neighbors in Washington, although with delayed testing it is hard to tell exactly how many people are infected. But as we continue to follow the pattern of disease spread that has been demonstrated in Wuhan and Italy, we can presume that things will only escalate from here. And with it, inequities will be laid bare.
Contributing Writer
Oregon Health & Science University
Brett Lewis is a third year medical student at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland Oregon class of 2021. In 2014, she graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in public health with a minor in anthropology. After medical school, she worked as Program Coordinator of the UCSF HEAL Initiative, an organization that trains fellows from or who are dedicated to serving communities in Navajo Nation and countries such as Liberia, Haiti, and Mexico. She enjoys reading, running, and racing cyclocross in her free time. After graduating medical school, Brett would like to pursue a combined career in family medicine and psychiatry.