Articles & Media
Lemons for Weight Loss
The field of weight-loss pills is strewn with lemons. Why do both doctors and patients pretend that it’s lemonade, when it’s anything but! More
Slow Medicine
I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but sometime in the past two decades, the “practice of medicine” was insidiously morphed into the “delivery of health care.” If you aren’t sure of the difference between the two, then “God’s Hotel” is the book for you. It’s an engaging book that chronicles this fin-de-siecle phenomenon from the perspective of San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital, the last almshouse in the United States. More
Doctors Have Feelings Too
Doctors should be aware of emotions that may lead them to be less than honest with patients or reluctant to admit errors. More
Who Deserves a Heart Transplant?
One of the most agonizing spots in medicine is the “transplant list.†In the United States, as in many countries, we rely on a simple system of altruism for organ donation. But other countries are trying different approaches. More
Doctors’ Suicide discussed on NPR
What happens it’s the doctor who commits suicide? Sadly, physicians–as a group–have a higher suicide rate than other professionals. Here’s the story of one doctor and the effects of his death on his student. More
Music Teachers for Doctors?
What if every doctor learned from a music teacher? Could a “coach” bring back the intellectual vibrancy from medical-school days for one doctor, the way a music teacher inspires constant growth? More
A Sampler of Danielle’s writing
Want to sample Danielle’s writing? Check out videos, podcasts, and of course, the written word of Danielle’s most memorable stories. More
Americans by Choice
“Enlightened citizenship is the everlasting strength of our democracy.” Inspiration from Andrew Carnegie. More
Filling the Ritalin Rx
Most physicians think little about prescriptions after they hand them off to their patients. But patients can face shame and humiliation when filling a prescription. More
The Provider Will See You Now
When did doctors become “providers� The term has a deliberate sterility to it that wrings out any sense of humanity, and connotes a widgetlike framework for that which is being “provided.†More
Recertifying Doctors
In 1990, seeking to keep pace with the rapid advances in medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine initiated the “recertification process.†Now, doctors must take an exam every 10 years. More
JAMA review of the Bellevue Literary Review
The Bellevue Literary Review was the first literary journal of its kind and holds a respected place among medical humanities scholars and those who write of medicine and illness, healing, and the human body. Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in the United States, may represent a natural starting point for reflection on these issues, and over the years the editors have produced a journal of uncommon literary quality. More
Doc, How Much Time I Got?
There are few situations more horrible than having to tell another human being that he or she is going to die. And it doesn’t get any easier with experience… More
Pharma in the Jungle
How to make pharmaceutical R&D worthy of James Bond-like drama. It’s not easy, but Anne Patchett gamely tries. An American drug company based in the dull stretches of Minnesota is racing to develop the holy grail of fertility drugs—a simple pill to allow women to get pregnant at any age. The stockholders are rubbing their palms rapaciously at the mere thought. More
Literary Publishing at Bellevue Hospital
Watch a video about literary publishing at the oldest public hospital in the country. The Bellevue Literary Review and the Bellevue Literary Press are the first ever literary publishing ventures in a medical center More
