As a Caribbean Medical Student, I often find myself correcting and educating others, both in-person and online, on the misconceptions they have regarding Caribbean medical schools. The most often misconceptions I hear are: “Most Caribbean students never get a residency position.” The first time residency match rate for students attending my medical school in the […]
One Health: Where Human and Veterinary Medicine Combine
Recently, I started watching the television series ChicagoMed with my husband. While watching Season 2, Episode 11, resident cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Rhodes was paged to repair an atrial septal defect . . . in a panda. At first, he stated that there was no way he could perform the surgery due to his human-only training. […]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
What kind of psychiatrist would I be if I didn’t share about May being Mental Health Awareness Month? You’ll be seeing green ribbons everywhere in support of #knowscience and #nostigma. The HHS and current administration shared a press release regarding the celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2022. There is currently a severe […]
Hepatitis Awareness in the Healthcare Setting
In honor of Hepatitis Awareness month, I wanted to briefly discuss hepatitis transmission, particularly in the healthcare setting. Types of Hepatitis There are 5 types (A-E) with types A, B, C being the most common. The leading cause of liver cancer is chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV). According to the CDC, 66% […]
Water You Waiting For?
In honor of National Kidney Month, I wanted to take time to stress the importance of staying hydrated. This not only goes for our patients, but also ourselves. We have dedicated our lives to treating others and recommending ways for our patients to treat their bodies well. Often times, we forget about ourselves and what […]
Navigating the Spring Semester in Med School
As we dive into the spring semester, it’s important to address our mental health and evaluate our overall well being. This can be a particularly challenging time for medical students of all levels. First-year medical students are concerned on how they will be spending their last summer off, while the second-year students are prepping for […]
Cidney Talks Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy
With March being National Kidney Month, it’s only fitting that I write a blog post on kidneys—especially since it’s only one letter away from my name and, thanks to autocorrect, is what I commonly get referred to as in emails! First things first, an overview: why do kidneys matter? The kidneys are organs in our […]
Brain Injury Awareness As a Psychiatry Resident
In the US, as in much of the world, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a common cause of death and disability. So, what are TBIs? Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are physical injuries to brain tissue that can cause temporary or permanent impairment to brain function. Causes of TBI include, but are not limited to, falls […]
Let’s Celebrate Women
March 8th marks International Women’s Day. March also happens to be my birthday month, so celebrating women is right up my alley as I am a big advocate for women encouraging women. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. So I’d like to share what […]
Medicine in Media: Not-So-Good Sam
Despite the plethora of medical-themed programming on TV, I always attempt to give at least the early episodes of each new series I watch a cursory glance. This was how I found myself examining Good Sam, the latest entry into the saturated US medical drama market, only a week after I first became aware of […]
