The Recipe for Change
I was one of four Penn trainees visiting Botswana. Alongside me in the luxury apartment were three medical students. One was a PhD with cardiology aspirations, who would accept no…
Extubation Intubation
I kept my usual pep as I sauntered into the ICU the next morning. I had spent some time reflecting on my circumstances and how I could help. In truth,…
La Resistance
When I was in medical school, I got a summer research scholarship to join a lab at the University of Toronto. I worked under a seasoned and clinically retired surgeon…
Frameworks
Over the next several days I became more familiar with both the system and my team. We had six students in total, five ladies and one lad. After watching them…
Princess Marina
My first full day on the wards felt like a dunk in cold water. I knew I would feel useless, and boy did I live up to expectation. The infrastructure…
Dumela Botswana
The more I learn about health inequality, the more I realize that the underpinning of inequality is tied to imperfect social structures, infrastructure deficits, and issues of governance. I could…
All is Well That Ends With a Well
Despite having felt like I had been in Kyangwali for weeks, we had come up on Friday, the last day of the mission. Arriving at Health Centre IV, Alex and…
The Roots of a Weed
Roosters and rain signaled another day. Sleepy heads flowed into the dining area for breakfast, and before long I found myself again in the surgical tent with an ultrasound probe…