You searched for Teaching - CLOSLER

September 25, 2018 | 1 min read

Teaching Maintains Clinical Excellence

By Michael Crocetti, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

Engaging with learners keeps you dedicated to lifelong learning, and teaching helps to maintain clinical excellence and the joy of medicine.

June 27, 2024 | 2 min read

Lessons from earlier in life: from public school teaching to doctoring

By Tyler Mains, MD, University of California, San Francisco

I apply the principles I learned as a public school teacher to patient care: asking insightful questions, seeing the whole person, and fostering motivation for positive change.

May 19, 2021 | 3 min read

Clinical Training Translating to Clinical Excellence

By Jennifer Spicer, MD, MPH, Emory University

Bias awareness achieved in teaching/learning can transfer to the clinic. Thus learners can help clinicians become aware of bias toward patients.

November 13, 2019 | 4 min read

The Art of Scaffolding Conversations

By Robert Trevino, MD, PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin

Scaffolding when communicating is meeting the other person where they are in their understanding. This is essential for healthcare discussions to best meet the needs of our patients.

June 12, 2019 | <1 min read

Dr. Jamie Wright, A CLOSLER Look

Making the time to ensure that patients understand what you are teaching them about their bodies will help them make better decisions about their care.

September 13, 2018 | 2 min read

The Core of Compassionate Care

By Ayelet Kuper, MD, University of Toronto

When I have trouble bringing my focus back to the patient, I remind myself that this patient was once a baby that someone held as I have held my own babies.

August 15, 2019 | 1 min read

The Circle of Whole Health

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

You can use the Circle of Health to support veterans in coming home in heart, mind, body, and spirit.

June 15, 2023 | 1 min read

Lessons From a Humble Mentor

By Rafael Llinas, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

My mentor, Dr. Martin Samuels, modeled outstanding communication skills with patients, colleagues, and trainees. He discussed times when he was wrong so that others could learn from his mistakes.

June 29, 2018 | 1 min read

Getting Into Character

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Working as a primary care provider for the last 24 years, I can say without a doubt that reading fiction has expanded my capacity to connect with my patients with a greater level of empathy.

"Chrysantheme und Biene." Hokusai, K. (ca. 1832). Public domain, Wikimedia.

September 22, 2021 | 8 min read

The Role of Visual Thinking Strategies Coaching in Clinical Excellence

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Take an appreciative approach when giving feedback to learners. It will not only build clinical skills, but will also foster a healthy community of learning and practice.

September 20, 2023 | 2 min read

Sharing Our Stories

By Hailey Haffey, PhD, University of Utah

Stories we’ve internalized about healing may direct our approach to patient care. Find the one that resonates most with you.

July 5, 2019 | 3 min read

Fun is fine, but it isn’t food (archives, 2019)

By Roxanne Sukol, MD, Cleveland Clinic

We ALL need to address the obesity epidemic by teaching our patients the difference between real food and manufactured calories.

December 23, 2020 | 5 min read

Holiday Rounds

By Samuel Durso, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If you're called on to work through Christmas and New Year’s, there's a bright side. This is typically a quieter period and may allow more time to learn from clinically excellent role models.

September 19, 2018 | <1 min read

Dr. Raf Llinas: A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

I try to teach using humor. I start by sharing with residents funny mistakes I made during my own training, so that they remember and learn from these poignant stories.

February 23, 2018 | 2 min read

Mindfulness and Diagnostic Acumen: Inversely Related?

By Sharon Solomon, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Far from being inversely related, physician mindfulness provides the foundation upon which diagnostic acumen is built.

August 26, 2025 | 2 min read

A cultural safety-centric approach

Ask patients, especially those who have been historically marginalized, if they feel safe, heard, and respected. Take time to learn about their background and healing practices to deepen trust and improve health outcomes.

July 17, 2025 | 3 min read

Cricket and the cadence of care

Like playing cricket, the art of medicine demands patience, teamwork, and a willingness to redefine victory—not every win is a cure. Sometimes success is helping a patient find comfort and dignity.

June 30, 2025 | 4 min read

Finding flow and joy in medicine

Finding professional flow requires assessing your inner values and the work environment. Finding harmony between who you are and what you do may help to prevent burnout and restore your joy in medicine.

April 2, 2019 | 5 min read

Connecting to Historical Roots

By Lee Akst, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

There are a number of important physicians in history, and an appreciation of our past can further our quest for clinical excellence in the present.

The author, far right, with colleagues.

October 23, 2018 | 2 min read

Master Clinicians – The Early Years

By Vivek Murthy, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

It’s no surprise that it takes hard work to become a great clinician. This is a glimpse of what the first steps on that road might look like.

Crystal Favorito

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, I moved to Baltimore to study neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University. I discovered my passion for writing my freshman year and joined the CLOSLER team. When I am not studying, I am teaching Zumba, training Jiu-Jitsu, or wrestling. I still have all my teeth (for now).

March 22, 2023 | 2 min read

Beautiful Bodies

By Drea Burbank, MD, Putumayo, Colombia

I chose to leave healthcare to become a hot yoga instructor. Now I help heal patients in a different way.

December 7, 2022 | 4 min read

The Road to Aequanimitas

My medical training in the 80s and 90s taught me to be reserved and distant from patients. After many years in practice, I now know that they deserve a personal relationship with their doctor.

August 28, 2025 | 3 min read

Listening for faith

Inquiring about patients’ spiritual lives can help us deliver more compassionate, holistic care. Noting the diversity of religiosity can help us to respect the outlook and perspectives of all patients.

June 25, 2018 | 2 min read

On The Professional Formation of Doctors

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

By getting out of the business of knowledge and skills and returning to the work of professional formation, not only will medical schools and their patients win, but doctors—and the profession of medicine as a whole—will too.

June 25, 2025 | 4 min read

Who’s visited you?

The presence of loved ones at the bedside can anchor and orient older patients. In their absence, the medical team should collaborate thoughtfully with the interprofessional team to provide social and emotional support.

June 18, 2025 | 2 min read

The heart of the practice: a PA’s reflections on teamwork

Exceptional patient care is a team endeavor, built on trust and a shared commitment to addressing every patient's unique needs. This is especially true when navigating complex health disparities.

Plato, Greek philosopher. A disciple of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle, he founded the Academy in Athens. This is his statue, located before the Academy of Athens, Greece.

June 29, 2022 | 3 min read

Being PerfecT in Healthcare

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Moral questions often arise in healthcare. Contemplating how our efforts might translate into the most good deserves our thoughtful consideration.

July 12, 2018 | 1 min read

Storytelling in Medicine

By Susan Lehmann, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The ability to learn your patient’s story from their words is the essential skill for developing a comprehensive understanding. This is crucial for accurate diagnosis and for establishing a therapeutic bond with each patient.

"Ángel M. Felicísimo from Mérida, España," Pablo Picasso, 1923. Creative Commons via Wikimedia. Public domain.

June 27, 2023 | 3 min read

Book Review of “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life”

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Wanting what others desire contributes to dissatisfaction and rivalry. Learning how to separate your wants from those of the crowd will bring you greater happiness and life satisfaction.

March 17, 2020 | 3 min read

Medicine is Like Poker

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In medicine, uncertainty abounds. Poker can teach us how to make smarter decisions when we don’t have all the facts.

April 21, 2020 | 2 min read

“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Role models can be found on Netflix. Jiro, the master sushi chef, is aiming for perfection, and we must also continuously try to get better in our work with patients.

January 9, 2023 | 2 min read

Questions Raised by “There, There”

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Reflecting on our own “there” (the place where we grew up) can trigger conversation that helps us to understand our patients’ “there.” This can strengthen the patient-clinician relationship.

August 13, 2019 | 2 min read

How Does Bullying Relate to Clinical Excellence?

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

There is no place in medicine for bullying. It interferes with growth of individuals and collaborations among team members – both of these are critical for serving our patients.

April 10, 2018 | 3 min read

Finding Beauty In Your Inbox

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sometimes, beauty and inspiration are inches away from our eyes, glowing at us from the blue light of our screen. Dr. Wright shares a moving story from a recent email exchange between a resident and attending.

July 5, 2018 | 1 min read

Getting the Most Out of Your Eyes

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If you look at your patients as you would a piece of art in a museum, you will notice many details that would otherwise be missed.

Dr. Wright's dog Lucy, out for a spring walk at the University of Virginia.

April 9, 2024 | 1 min read

Wagging tails and healing hearts

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor, Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If you or your patients are thinking about getting a pet, full encouragement; life is better with animals around. Pets generally improve mental well-being by offering unconditional love, reducing stress, and providing a sense of purpose.

January 4, 2024 | 1 min read

Searching for the solution

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Improving clinical reasoning skills is a career-long journey where we feel like an expert one day and a novice the next. Commitment to growth and learning from mistakes are absolutely required.

September 27, 2023 | 1 min read

Guardrails And Ambulances

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Over 100,000 Americans die every year from overdoses, and most are preventable. Discuss with patients and loved ones the dangers of having old prescription or counterfeit pills, as well as the importance of keeping naloxone on hand.

February 16, 2024 | 1 min read

Patients and politics

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Patient-initiated political statements may make healthcare professionals feel uncomfortable. Thoughtful strategies, like redirection, can keep the focus on patient care.

Parting gift for every customer—homemade pistachio granola.

August 7, 2023 | 3 min read

Insights from the book “Unreasonable Hospitality”

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Healthcare delivery is complex, and hospitality may not be prioritized. As individuals and teams, small changes in behavior may improve patient experience.

September 9, 2020 | 1 min read

We’re All in This Together

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

With the added stress caused by the pandemic, make an extra effort to screen your patients for anxiety and depression. Empathizing about shared concerns may facilitate patient expression.

"I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills."-Lucy Beneventi

May 24, 2023 | 3 min read

An Email Chain That Made me Smile

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Each year of life has lessons to teach us. The insights in this piece may serve as a reminder to seek out advice from those who are older, and to make time for reflection.

June 15, 2020 | 1 min read

Getting CLOSLER: A Note to Our Readers

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

For two years, CLOSLER has been stimulating healthcare professionals and trainees to reflect on giving exceptional care to every patient.

July 6, 2018 | 1 min read

Music and Coffee

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If you get the sense that one of your patients is isolated or alone, ask about their support network. If they have none, ask if they would like help in being connected to community resources.

"Facilitate finding new ways of having fun and staying busy. Recovery is not punishment."

April 3, 2018 | 1 min read

10 tips to support patients with a substance use disorder

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

I’ve devoted my entire career to supporting patients with substance use disorders (SUD). Here are the top 10 tips that I’ve learned over the past few decades.

May 4, 2023 | 2 min read

The Power of Stories

By Flora Kisuule, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

A recent grand rounds by Dr. Kimberly Manning illuminated how stories give meaning to why we do what we do.

April 6, 2020 | 1 min read

Addiction Recovery During the Pandemic

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We are all stressed by the great uncertainty related to COVID-19, but for our patients with addiction, it is much greater. Check in with your patients and support them in finding healthy ways to cope.

January 5, 2023 | 1 min read

Quiet Quitting in Healthcare

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The past three years have been difficult in healthcare and some are now doing less than we used to. Because this may be a temporary strategy, patience and understanding may be the most considerate approach.

February 18, 2020 | 3 min read

4 negotiating tips from “Never Split the Difference”

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We regularly negotiate with patients en route to shared decision making. Tips from Voss' book "Never Split the Difference" can improve your communications with patients.