Avoiding Day Zero
“Our teacher says we are destroying the planet. It’s so bad we may not be able to breathe the air and it will be super hot in the future.” On a typical day as we leave the carpool line I always enjoy conversation with my kids. The topics span current events, politics, fun historical facts, […]
Mommy Doc vs Woman Doc
Sometimes it takes looking at your life through someone else’s eyes to be truly grateful for what you have. I had a chance encounter the other day at the Honda Dealership, while waiting for an oil change. My 15 month-old son and I were sitting next to an older Caucasian woman. She was talking to […]
So I didn’t match…Now what? My SOAP Experience
Five years ago after having 11 interviews from August to February, I received a call from my medical school adviser on the Monday of match week telling me I didn’t match. It was the one call that turned my whole medical school life upside down. I knew that over my four years of study I […]
What International Women’s Day Means to Women Doctors
Aren’t all things better when they’re in balance? That is this year’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD will be on March 8th, and this year marks the 118th annual celebration. Since its inception in 1911 in several European countries, IWD marks the progress made in gender parity. While the US doesn’t recognize it […]
I am a doctor and I have anxiety
I’ve been thinking a lot about connection recently, and how much of our sadness is related to the fact that we feel alone in our suffering. Well, in the spirit of alleviating that separateness feeling, I offer this glimpse into my own head. It was 2001, and I was in my first year of med […]
In My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams: Reflections from a Black Female Doctor
I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams is a quote on a T-shirt that I see frequently in my social media feeds. It is very relevant during Black History Month. My great grandparents and grandparents were capable and intelligent people who never had the opportunities I’ve had due to the impact of slavery and subsequent segregation. Their […]
Life Lessons From a Preemie
Being a working mom is the most amazing thing, but sometimes when life gets in the way, it could be too overwhelming. Whenever I reach the brink of a meltdown, I always think back to the first few days and months of my little preemie’s life. She was born at 26 weeks, weighing 1 pound […]
Women in Medicine: Blackwell and Beyond
“For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women.” These are the words of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. By doing so on January 23rd 1849, she forever changed the face of […]
Stormy Weather
That was quite a storm! 100 mph winds, rain pouring so hard it hurt, vivid lightening and deafening thunder. Did you see it too? Probably not…Because it all just occurred in my mind. The storm that brewed from a flood of thoughts – my brain taking me to all the shoulds…didn’ts…failures…doubts…fears. Reminding me that […]
I Am Responsible TO Others, Not FOR Them
Once upon a time, I went to counseling, for a year. The reason was that I had lost my empathy somewhere along the way in medical training. It was my husband who suggested I get help, because the numbness could no longer be turned ‘on’ and ‘off’ for my work and I remained frozen and […]
