A meditation on what is worth taking home I had lunch recently with a woman who lives in my building, after exchanging numbers as friendly neighbors do. We were getting to know one another, and she wanted to hear more details about my work. I briefly described doing regular Ob/Gyn…

A table, some chairs, and most importantly, you With my back against a cold table, my thighs spread open and my feet precariously balanced on what feel like spatulas, I am fully aware of my place in this room. The young Family Medicine doctor leans in toward my knees, brought…

Because humans have sex. Because I believe in God. Because I am pro-life. — I’ve worked in a county hospital, and I’ve worked in a private clinic. The waiting rooms looked different, the staff’s enthusiasm varied, and the patients of all ages came from different backgrounds, education levels, and phases of their lives. It never ceased to amaze me that despite variation in settings…

Pondering Motives that Led to a Massacre in Georgia — It doesn’t take much browsing to realize there is very little information about the victims of the mass shootings in Georgia. We know a little about Delaina Yaun, and the names of the other victims: Paul Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz. The Atlanta victims’ identities have not been…

Learning silence as a second language — I have several memories of people blaming me for being out of touch with my Japanese roots. One was a gym coach, the classic kind with a buzz-cut who wore sunglasses on our indoor basketball courts, carried a whistle around his neck and chewed gum as he told me, at…

I am no hero. I don’t break down doors and run into the fires of my patients’ lives. I have made some sacrifices. In twelve years of training to be a doctor, I missed weddings, baby showers, and funerals, experienced my own health cyclically decline and recover, lost sleep in…

Our Country’s Shameful Past and Present — On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced relocation of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast to concentration camps. Now, 79 years later, the tendency to imagine hostile enemies within our own nation has not changed. In response to the…

Netflix’s trending docuseries and the exploitation of mental illness If you have heard about Netflix’s new true crime docuseries featuring the story of Elisa Lam, you’ve also likely heard scathing reviews detailing the many ways in which the producers missed the mark. If you plan to watch the series, I…

What substance use and Instaglamour might have in common “I’m so sorry,” she apologized profusely, catching her breath between sobs, “I’m trying my best.” She called the hospital in a panic. Her neighbor had stolen her buprenorphine, a medication needed to prevent cravings and withdrawal for people who suffer from…