Neurological exams never fail to amaze me with how simple they are to perform given how much information they provide to localize a lesion – take the swinging-flashlight exam for example.

There’s a new physician blog on the corner, and this one happens to be by the pediatric surgeon who not only taught me embryology but also about maintaining a routine (and sanity) throughout medical school.

Estimates say that with Obamacare now in place, the United States will have a shortage of roughly 35,000 primary care physicians over the next decade. Currently, only 30-35% of all physicians are in primary care. Why? Like with most things in this country, you’ve gotta follow the money. Primary care physicians, on average, get paid […]

Something valuable I learned in block 4 dispelled a myth I heard throughout my childhood years – you can’t sneeze with your eyelids open or else your eyeballs will pop out.

Though medical students are inundated with education and training, all of us still need to consider the non-medical aspects of our futures, marriage being an important item on the “to do list” for many. It’s interesting to note how many fourth year medical students (MS-4s) are in a serious relationship (if not already married) with […]

Last week’s PPS topic involved self-care amidst the hectic life of a healthcare professional. Some of us feel that we’re inadequate compared to our peers. Others strive to attain perfection in a dynamic science. Even more are on the verge of burnout from the long hours, constant pressure to succeed, etc. So the topic got […]

Genome wide association studies are extremely useful in trying to assess which genes are responsible for conditions caused by complex or unknown patterns. In a nutshell, hundreds of people with a particular condition (in this case, asthma) have their genomes compared. Researchers are looking for certain mutations/patterns like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are prevalent […]

Cystic fibrosis and α1-antitrypsin deficiency are the two most common inherited lung diseases, and both of them happen to be caused by a known, single gene mutation. A study conducted at Boston University’s School of Medicine and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation describes a protocol in which gene therapy was used to treat emphysema […]

There are horror stories of medical students studying 8-10 hours per day, having no social life, and having to sacrifice their sanity just to keep up with the volume of material we’re held accountable for. I’m here to say that those rumors are pure nonsense.

One of the main points emphasized in the management electives I’ve taken is the concept of healthcare costs vs. GDP/inflation. It doesn’t matter how much we try to lower the cost of healthcare – if the rate of healthcare expenditure increases faster than the GDP, it won’t be long before 20, 30, or even 50% […]