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Section: Blogs/Opinion

Travel Ban & Health

There is something with life-and-death consequences that the Trump administration didn’t say a word about during its successful pursuit of a travel ban on people from seven countries. America’s healthcare system, especially in rural areas, is dependent on foreigners — including those from the banned countries. Perhaps that’s why the president of the American Medical Association […]

July 5, 2018

Veteran Suicides

Three years ago, I wrote a somewhat confrontational article about why 22 was not the correct number of how many veterans commit suicide each day in the United States. I argued that if hiring managers and recruiters focused on the number 22 without context, they could severely impair veterans’ ability to find meaningful employment. After all, according […]

July 2, 2018

Veteran Suicides

Breastfeeding Zealots

Breastfeeding zealots really need to back off — especially when they work in the newborn ward of a hospital. After the birth of my daughter last summer, I spent my first several days in the hospital struggling to breastfeed. It really did not go well. And the entire experience would have been so much better […]

June 27, 2018

Separation Trauma

Fair and just societies protect children. The Trump administration’s unconscionable practice of separating children from their families at the border between Mexico and the United States is making me rethink what kind of society I live in. The images and the stories are heartbreaking. In an effort to deter families from migrating to the United States, reports say the […]

June 25, 2018

Separation Trauma

Callous Decisions

Not satisfied with taking away health insurance coverage for over 3 million Americans, last week the Trump Administration said it wanted to take away coverage from more. While Americans have been distracted by the scandals, investigations, and policy flip flops, the Administration and its allies in the Congress have never been deterred from one deadly […]

June 20, 2018

Ebola Surveillance

The news of the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo brings back memories of the 2013-16 Ebola crisis in West Africa which was a shock to the whole world. It highlighted the importance of investigating and responding to disease outbreaks before they become a global threat. The countries affected, namely Sierra Leone, Guinea […]

June 18, 2018

Issue for Midterms

Donald Trump and the Republican Party just put America’s health care squarely on the November ballot. After a year of trying and failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration, in cahoots with 20 conservative states, has asked the courts to strike down several pillars of the ACA — including its protections for Americans with pre-existing health conditions. These protections are a guarantee […]

June 13, 2018

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Medicine’s Racist History

This spring, New York City removed a statue of James Marion Sims, the controversial “father of modern gynecology,” from Central Park. The decision was celebrated by those familiar with his legacy, including many physicians. Sims’ innovations had unquestionable value. He introduced an early version of the vaginal speculum and new methods of performing gynecological exams. He is particularly known […]

June 11, 2018

Medicines Racist History

Patient Freedom

Free markets in medicine are not “broken”; they have not been allowed to work since 1944 when wartime federal policies began disturbing market forces. Federal control of prices and service delivery further expanded following the Medicare Act of 1965. In 2010, Obamacare crushed medical insurance plans, doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device makers and home […]

June 6, 2018

Reducing Maternal Deaths

For so many expectant mothers, anxiety can build from the moment they find out a little one is on the way. One thing they shouldn’t have to worry about is dying during pregnancy or childbirth, but that’s a real possibility for too many women, particularly those who are African-American and live right here in Pennsylvania. […]

June 4, 2018

Black Moms Babies

Risk for Women

President Donald Trump’s plan to withhold federal funds for organizations that perform abortions or make referrals for them will endanger women’s access to a wide range of health care, such as birth control, Pap tests for cervical cancer and testing for breast cancer and sexually transmitted infections. Trump’s effort is designed to placate a group […]

May 30, 2018

Planned Parenthood

Such a Deal

Last year, Donald Trump charged the pharmaceutical industry with “getting away with murder” for its profiteering off of Americans’ prescription drugs. Now that he’s released his “blueprint” for dealing with drug prices, it looks like he’s in on the deal. Wall Street was quick to cheer the Trump blueprint, unveiled on May 11. Right after it was announced, […]

May 25, 2018

It’s Complicated

One of my favorite memes came from one of the telling absurdities uttered by Donald Trump: “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated.” In a functional administration (of any sort) when the top administrator becomes aware of their ignorance in an area, they would rely upon experts who can provide background, information, and guidance. It seems that […]

May 23, 2018

Gag Rule

Dear Secretary Azar, As organizations dedicated to improving access to high-quality, affordable health care for all people, we write to register our grave concerns should your agency consider undermining the Title X family planning program by instituting a domestic “gag rule.” The rule, which was first advanced by the Reagan administration in 1988, is nothing […]

May 21, 2018

Tagging Malaria

As a volunteer physician in a small hospital in Nigeria 30 years ago, I was bitten by lots of mosquitoes and soon came down with headache, chills, fever, and muscle aches. It was malaria. Fortunately, the drug available to me then was effective, but I was pretty sick for a few days. Since that time, […]

May 16, 2018

Costly Care

President Trump has nominated an individual to serve as the 17th secretary of Veterans Affairs, including 10 secretaries and seven acting secretaries. There are some politicians, both in Trenton and Washington, D.C., who believe that the private sector can do a better job of providing health care for veterans. This view seems to ignore the […]

May 14, 2018

Skipping Insurance

Toward Inclusion

In 2011, the National Institutes of Health urged all university clinical research centers to increase minority recruitment for medical trials. In response, the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation developed the Cultural Ambassadors program, an initiative that “had potential to bend the curve,” or, in other words, to change the way in which minorities engage with […]

May 9, 2018

Toward Inclusion

Stigma in Mental Health

“La ropa sucia se lava en casa.” “Dirty laundry is washed at home.” There are few challenges more vexing in health care marketing than the therapeutic areas of behavioral and mental health. Some would argue that chief among them is the social stigma associated with mental health — the cultural imperative to keep a patient […]

May 7, 2018

Transgender Mental Illness