Over a century ago, American educator Abraham Flexner established what would become a traditional curriculum structure for U.S. medical schools: two years of basic science education in the classroom followed by two years of clinical experience. Although medical schools have been successful at producing physicians, Flexner could not have imagined the modern practice of medicine Read more
Patients
The “big data” revolution is well under way in healthcare and medical research, and its promise seems limitless. The hope is that by analyzing tens of thousands of electronic medical records, investigators can uncover new risk factors, novel preventive measures and treatments that are the most effective for a range of diseases and conditions. But Read more
When a celebrity dies, immediately there’s talk about the cause of death. But talk doesn’t mean we get the full story—at least not right away. When legendary rock musician Lou Reed died this past October, many media outlets initially reported that he died of complications of a liver transplant and liver disease at age 71 Read more
She asked me, “Is it okay to laugh?” My patient Linda, who was only 12 weeks pregnant, had just had a chorionic villus sampling, or CVS. During this procedure, a small piece of placenta (chorionic villi) is removed via a long, thin needle inserted into the woman’s uterus, and then the sample is sent to Read more
Think about your average day. You probably send or receive dozens of emails. Your biggest concern as the sender is usually “Has my email been opened?” or “Will the person take the required action?” As a recipient, you may ask yourself “Does this email require me to take action?” or “Can its contents help, hinder Read more
“Yair,” the nurse said in a serious tone, “necesito que me ayudes”—“I need you to help me.” The urgent request occurred while I was working in the O2 Traveler’s Clinic in Cusco, Peru, as part of Einstein’s Global Health Fellowship Program‘s medical Spanish program this past summer. There, I was part of the team; I Read more
