A parable of plagues, pandemics and proportions — One day, a corn farmer noticed that some of his corn had turned black. It wasn’t a good black, either, like Aztec corn or huitlacoche.

Not even when we took that oath — I know, I know. I shouldn’t have read the comments. Yesterday, nurses at two large hospitals here in NYC went on strike, demanding fair pay and safe staffing ratios. This follows unionization efforts by resident physicians at one of these hospitals back in November, efforts that the unionizing residents claim…

The false dichotomy between relief and development — This article first appeared in African Business. You know that phrase, “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for life”? Yeah, I hate that phrase; it creates a false dichotomy. Why not do both? After all, it’s easier…

Just by being here, are we doing good? — Just over a year ago, a good friend of mine tweeted this, and it’s been sitting in my brain, for free, ever since: I’ll admit that my first reaction to this tweet was vigorous approval. Healthcare faces hefty challenges that tweeting and snapshot publications alone won’t solve. If you’ve hung…

The cunningly colonialist way we talk about global health — Nearly two decades ago, I slid into the back row of the audience at a global health talk during the American Academy of Otolaryngology’s annual meeting. At the front, a well-respected, senior stateswoman in my field was recounting a trip she’d taken. She’d been in Africa for a week—I’m redacting…

Or, how I became an expert at sucking — In April, I stepped down from a job I’d held for just shy of two years. Out of respect for the many good people who work there, I’m not publicly discussing the reasons I left. That’s not the point of this post. Instead, today will be about how we talk—and…

Before trying to boost your motivation, ask these three questions instead — Last week, over on my Instagram, someone asked, “What is your favorite way to boost motivation?” This question got me thinking about motivation—because I think it’s fundamentally the wrong question to ask. A sneaky (and erroneous) assumption underpins a search for “tricks” to boost motivation—the assumption that motivation is something…

How to navigate the Great Rehire — More Americans have left their jobs during the pandemic than at any point in the last two decades. 4.3 million people quit in December 2021 alone, and up to 65 percent of Gen Z plans to join what has become known as the Great Resignation. We’ve left for all sorts…

Or, why I’ll be the last person in the world wearing a mask — I’m angry. This is personal. Countries around the world have given up on the pandemic. At the end of January, for example, Ireland lifted pretty much all its Covid restrictions overnight, a move that prompted Taoiseach Micheál Martin to crow, “This is a good day.” No more lockdowns, no more…