Month: February 2025
SBAS – Sunday Series: Finding joy in the little things
by Dr. Crystal Johnson-Mann Most would agree that achieving the idyllic dream of self-care can be challenging at baseline, let alone when trying to incorporate it into a demanding surgeon schedule. The activities that fulfill one’s idea of self-care are highly variable, depending on who you ask. For some, it is a relaxing day at the spa; for others, it may be quiet and solitude in one’s “happy” place. In the current climate, self-care is of the utmost importance. But how exactly does one achieve it? This is much easier said than done, as one would presume. I’m an academic surgeon, wife, mother to 2 little boys, and a former D-I college athlete. I have repeatedly said at the start of each new year since becoming a mom almost 6 years ago that I would make a special attempt to really lean into devoting time periodically for me…to preserve my...
Egg-specting the Unexpected: A Medical Student’s Experience on Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Fertility
by Meryem Guler BS The first time I witnessed a birth was in my third year of medical school on my OBGYN rotation. I found myself in the delivery room assisting the team by holding up one of the patient’s legs during her contractions and counting to ten for each push – a popular role amongst medical students. The patient’s mother was pacing the room around the team, as if walking was the only outlet for her nerves. With one final push, a baby was born screaming and crying into this world. The new grandmother rushed up to greet them, sobbing tears of joy. She kept repeating “they’re so beautiful” and “you did amazing” to her daughter and grandchild. Observing this scene, I thought of my mom and how she would react similarly if this were me. Blinking back tears, I had one final thought before I had to step...
The Shadow of Sacrifice
by Ashley Martinez I stared back at her feet in four-inch heels as I lay under my mother’s desk, awakening from my nap. A single mother of three, my mother worked what seemed like all hours of the day to make ends meet. As a result, I quickly became accustomed to napping under her desk after school or sipping on a juice that her client offered me and my youngest brother while we sat in the living room of a home we could only dream would be ours. Was her work ethic passed down to me due to genetics, model behavior, or a mix of both? Now, as a third-year medical student, I like to think it’s an accumulation of these factors, once fueled by the need to prove myself, but now sustained by something far greater. There was no doubt that I was smart. I took after my mom...
Waltz of the OR – Finding the Music from Within
by Minjal Patel There is an air of musicality that has drawn me towards the OR, whether it is the organized chaos of the beeping monitors or the sounds of steel instruments hitting the table as the team prepares for the patient to arrive. It reminds me of a Chopin waltz – everyone carefully navigates the space as the pristine sheets of blue are draped over the patient. Having trained in classical piano performance since the age of nine, I often find parallels between music and surgery. Those similar bright lights that shine overhead illuminate the surgical field while blurring the rest. While it may seem like a dramatic romanticization of surgery, I reflect on my training as a pianist, which spanned over a decade and has now become a pivotal part of who I am today. It transports me to the time I performed a structured Bach prelude in...