Upon stepping off the plane into Tegucigalpa airport, the surreal nature of my situation hit me. I had just traveled for 7 some hours with 36 people I barely knew, into a country one month before I couldn’t place on a map, to do work I have only imagined myself doing to get me through…
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was jointly awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for characterizing the circadian rhythm at a level of molecular operation. Although the concept of biological clocks was well understood, pioneering work lead by these researchers in the 1980’s and 1990’s provided the first…
Since the mid 20th century, advances in medicine have allowed doctors to save patients from terminal diseases that eat away at life-giving organs— diseases that had previously been death sentences. From the first kidney transplant in 1954 to the first full face transplant in 2010, the boundaries of medicine have been continually pushed forward towards…
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the primary global cause of death, as of late 2016. Fortunately, many cardiovascular conditions, such as congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, and clogged, leaky, or stiff heart valves, can be remedied by open-heart surgery. During this procedure, the patient is anesthetized, and the surgeon…
When Alfred Nobel suffered a stroke and drew his last breath in 1896, it was a surprise to the world that the infamous weapons manufacturer and hated dynamite inventor had signed into his will that his amassed fortune would go toward establishing a prize for the most distinguished scientists, peacemakers, and writers around the world….
“Maybe in 10 years time, I will become one of them too.” I’ve only been shadowing after Dr. Ly (pseudonym) for two days and already I think I know perhaps half of what he feels when he has to return the call to the mother of an 18-month-old with anhidrosis knowing that there is nothing…
The 2015-16 football season is underway, and to many, this means touchdowns, TV, and triumphant storylines. However, to Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology at the New England Veterans administration center, it means something a little darker. Researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University have found that 87 of 91 deceased National…
This week, researchers at the Washington University Medical School (WUSM) announced they had successfully combined three antibiotics that, together, can kill MRSA, otherwise known as antibiotic-resistant staph infection. According to WUSM professor Gautam Dantas, this is a major breakthrough that could save 11,000 American lives every year. However, our society urgently needs to address the…
As of 2015, Oregon has joined a few other states in covering health services specific to the needs of the transgender community. Its Medicaid now pays for hormones, puberty delay and suppression, and reassignment surgeries. Dr. Amy Cislo, a professor of Women and Gender Studies who also teaches Transgender Studies and Gender, Religion, Medicine and…
After competing with the men’s Ultimate Frisbee team in the regional finals last year, I started to notice a twinge in my lower back. As a person who prides himself on staying healthy, I convinced myself that the pain was temporary; after all, I could only recall one instance when I dove awkwardly for the…