Sep 4Member-onlyTrading bankruptcy for healthHow much poverty would you risk for your health? — Toward the end of grad school, I found myself across a cafeteria table from a Malagasy colleague named Jean Luis. I’d spent the last few months buried in the final chapter of my dissertation, whose entire premise had been prompted by the story of another Malagasy man named Sambany. In…Healthcare5 min readHealthcare5 min read
Aug 18Member-onlyAI, global health, and racismAll models are wrong. Some are useful. — Back in 1976, the British statistician George Box wrote, All models are wrong, but some are useful Back then, artificial intelligence wasn’t a thing. Large language models, like those behind ChatGPT or Google Bard, were the stuff of imagination. …AI5 min readAI5 min read
Jul 1Member-onlyBouncers at the door of heavenWho is allowed at the table? — This post is late, because I’ve been toying with writing it for a few weeks—and by “toying with,” I mean “agonizing over.” This isn’t the usual thing I write. This is much more personal. If you follow me, it’s likely because you found my attempts to make heads or tails…Christianity6 min readChristianity6 min read
May 22Member-onlyA tale of two tumorsThe privilege of not going to the doctor — Last week, while working on the hospital ship in Dakar, I met a man I’ll call Amadou. Amadou is from Senegal. Like many of the patients I see on that hospital ship, he has a tumor. Unlike many, however, he doesn’t have a very big tumor. He’s had it for…Surgery3 min readSurgery3 min read
Published inBeingWell·May 1Member-onlyFama and the Commodification of Global HealthWe maximize what we measure — Imagine, for a second, that you have a child. Imagine also that your child has a cleft palate: the two sides of the roof of her mouth haven’t fused down the midline. Milk comes out her nose when she drinks. And finally, imagine there are three hospitals in your city…Global Health7 min readGlobal Health7 min read
Apr 2Member-onlyIndivisible and indispensableSurgery cannot be optional guacamole — “Everybody—from the border of Mali, all the way to Dakar—knows my son.” Daouda’s father is a tall, articulate Senegalese man who lives with his family in a small town on the Malian border. …Surgery5 min readSurgery5 min read
Feb 13Member-onlyPhysician wellbeing programs: a means of controlThe sham science that keeps providers shackled — In January, the American College of Surgeons announced its new surgeon well-being initiative. It has lofty goals: [The ACS] recognizes the need to foster well-being, resilience, and work-life integration for all surgeons, regardless of their career stage. …Physician Burnout6 min readPhysician Burnout6 min read
Published inGeek Culture·Jan 14Member-onlyJoe and the Black CornA 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.Covid-195 min readCovid-195 min read
Published inBeingWell·Jan 11Member-onlyNo, We Didn’t Sign up For ThisNot 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…Healthcare5 min readHealthcare5 min read
Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyTeaching someone to fishThe 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…Global Health3 min readGlobal Health3 min read
