August 27, 2024 | 6 min read

Wounded health systems 

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

In my own journey as a physician, I’ve realized that healthcare's emphasis on efficiency, productivity, and the EMR can contribute to the wounding of healers. To counteract this, systems must prioritize compassion, foster a culture of caring, and make large-scale changes to create institutional and individual well-being.

March 26, 2019 | 3 min read

Tunnel Carver

By Christopher Wolfgang, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

"Carve a tunnel of hope through the dark tunnel of disappointment." ~ Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

August 5, 2021 | 2 min read

Talking With People About COVID Vaccination

By Daniel Brotman, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When discussing COVID vaccinations, I show appreciation to those who have been vaccinated and explain to them that they performed a vital civic duty.

April 16, 2020 | 1 min read

Designing Your Life in Medicine

By Lynae Conyers, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Thoughtful career exploration may promote well-being and protect against burnout. Life design practices may guide you along your career journey.

June 18, 2018 | 7 min read

Treating Every Patient How I Would Want To Be Treated

By Mitchell Goldstein, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

A pediatric emergency department physician shares his inspiring clinical mission and values statement.

June 25, 2024 | 2 min read

Lessons from an earlier life: Latin dance

By Neha Santucci, MD, Cincinnati Childrens

My experiences with both dancing and patient care have taught me that connection and passion are key. In medicine, like in dance, I focus on building strong relationships and finding joy. 

December 2, 2025 | 2 min read

Policy, patients, and persistence 

Advocacy matters—policy decisions impact access to care and patient health outcomes. When speaking with legislators, have a strategy to grab their attention and have the most influence. 

June 7, 2023 | 1 min read

Reflections on Candles

By Joanne Shay, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Consider how we are beacons of hope for our patients and their loved ones as they navigate a potentially dark time in their lives. 

August 26, 2024 | 2 min read

The Argentinian way

By M. Carolina Musri, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In Argentina, I learned that relationship-building in medicine is paramount. With patients, talking about anything non-medical can deepen a connection. With coworkers, sharing lunch every day can help reduce stress and improve well-being.

January 23, 2019 | <1 min read

Dr. Michele Bellantoni, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

In long-term care we're able to develop personal relationships with our patients, and thus in our Geriatrics, physician burnout rates are lower. The personal relationships with patients create both meaning and joy.

July 27, 2021 | 3 min read

Lessons From My Experience as a Grandpa And Clinician

By Ivor Berkowitz, MBBCh, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine

My experience of feeling helpless through my grandchild’s illness reminded me that kindness, empathy, and honesty are central to giving clinically excellent care.

July 23, 2018 | 1 min read

Consider The Patient First

By Julie Hoover-Fong, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Whatever decision is best for the patient is the right one to manage the problem at hand.

September 26, 2018 | <1 min read

Dr. Susan Lehmann: A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Enjoy a three-minute video interview with Dr. Susan Lehmann, who shares how playing the piano helped her become adept at listening to patients while maintaining eye contact and writing notes.

April 9, 2020 | 3 min read

Mentoring While Social Distancing

By Ruth Gotian, EdD, MS, Weill Cornell Medicine, Weill Cornell Mentoring Academy

The pandemic is a critical time for clinically excellent role models to continue mentoring. Separation creates opportunities to connect in new ways.

August 6, 2018 | <1 min read

Treat All Patients Like A Family Member

By Hugh Calkins, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

I care for all patients as if they were a family member.

November 25, 2025 | 1 min read

Roses and renewal 

Appreciating “thank yous” and other signs of gratitude from patients can be restorative. These gifts can be a reminder of the privilege that we have in caring for patients. 

June 1, 2023 | 3 min read

Meditations For Pride Month

By Hailey Haffey, PhD, University of Utah

LGBTQ2S+ Pride Month can provide us with a time not only to celebrate but also to reflect on questions related to shame and alliances in medicine. 

August 20, 2024 | 2 min read

Wounded healer

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Clinician burnout can erode compassion, which is at the heart of healthcare. To reignite a passion for healing, clinicians must tend to their own souls in addition to mind and body.

January 18, 2019 | 9 min read

From Clinic to Senate

By Kali Cyrus, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Advocacy does not have to mean changing legal precedents; it can also be taking a mentee out for coffee, giving feedback about your colleague’s stereotyping of a patient, or not patronizing restaurants with unfair wage practices.

May 21, 2018 | 3 min read

Listening and Communicating

By Justin McArthur, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The clinical mission and values statement of a neurologist, sharing thoughtful tips on listening and communicating with patients and their families.

July 24, 2018 | 2 min read

Why I Attend My Patients’ Funerals

I try to go to my patients' funerals because they are profound and humbling experiences.

May 19, 2025 | 3 min read

The moral injury of divergent healthcare goals 

Moral injury can arise when there’s a tension between business goals and clinicians' mandate to serve patients. Encouraging transparency and commitment to reconverging these goals may improve understanding and lessen distress among hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, and patients.  

March 30, 2020 | 1 min read

Serving the Socially Vulnerable During the Pandemic

By Deidra Crews, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Excellent clinicians must think of creative ways to serve all of our patients during this time of crisis, and keep the most vulnerable at the front of our minds.

June 11, 2024 | 2 min read

From pizza pans to pain plans 

By Christle Nwora, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

For young adults transitioning to adult care, building trust and rapport is crucial. With permission, it may be helpful to continue involving parents in care plans to improve health outcomes.  

November 12, 2025 | 2 min read

Paternal insight 

My patient’s father reminded me that exceptional care goes beyond knowledge—it’s also the humility to admit uncertainty and the skill to forge collaborative partnerships with patients and families. 

May 31, 2023 | 1 min read

Lessons From a Leaf-Coated Dog

By Catherine Callister, MD, University of Colorado

Encouraging patients to bring things that remind them of home to the hospital may help promote healing.  

July 16, 2024 | 3 min read

A box full of hope 

While working as a doctor in Cameroon, I learned that the most valuable resources aren’t always technological. Instead, generosity, kindness, and human connections may be most important for making healthcare more widely accessible. 

January 3, 2019 | 1 min read

Post-Holiday Reflections

Throughout the entirety of the year, placing emphasis on humanity and connecting with patients is paramount.

July 8, 2021 | 1 min read

Reaching Out to Your Patient’s Family When Death is Imminent

By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine

When my friend died of pancreatic cancer recently, I saw how valuable it was for her family to hear from the treating physician. Going forward, I will emulate this inspiring practice.

January 10, 2024 | 2 min read

Risk and reward 

By Hien Tan Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

During surgical residency training, I learned how to operate. In practice, I learned how to decide WHETHER to operate based on individualized versus protocol-driven parameters. 

March 26, 2018 | 1 min read

Knowing and Caring For The Patient As A Person

By Kimberly Peairs, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Medical care extends far beyond simply treating a disease—it involves forging a relationship and offering trust, support, and wisdom. 

August 1, 2018 | <1 min read

Introducing “A CLOSLER Look”

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Check out the first video our new weekly series, “A CLOSLER Look,” featuring short and sweet interviews with clinically excellent physicians. On tap today - psychiatrist Dr. Margaret Chisolm.

November 11, 2025 | 1 min read

Purpose shapes practice

I found more meaning in my work when I stopped treating “cases” and started seeing people. Compassionate attention became my most effective clinical tool.

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. 

July 8, 2024 | 2 min read

Suturing stories 

By Andrea Merrill, MD, Boston Medical Center

By using writing to process patient care experiences, I'm able to learn from challenging events at work and find more meaning in medicine. 

December 28, 2018 | 3 min read

How do you measure a year?

By Dawn Harris Sherling, MD, Florida Atlantic University

How do we measure a year in medicine? I’d like to measure mine in patient laughter, hugs, and lives that were made just a little bit better.

May 16, 2018 | 2 min read

The Stigma of Opioid Use Disorder

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Building a strong therapeutic alliance between patient and clinician—via open communication, mutual respect, and trust—is a lifeline for the individual patient with an Opioid Use Disorder.

January 2, 2024 | 1 min read

Thank you lessons

By Gail Berkenblit, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When patients express thanks, they teach us what matters most to them. They often mention careful listening and conveying empathy and compassion. 

February 11, 2020 | 2 min read

Moving Mountains

By Susan Huff, RN, MSN, Johns Hopkins Homecare Group

In end of life care, excellent clinicians can and should move mountains to get patients home if that's where they want and need to be.

June 3, 2024 | 2 min read

Book review: “Everything I Know About Love” by Dolly Alderton 

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

This page-turner about friendship reminds readers that relationships are not easy and require sustained care and attention. In medicine and life, this can lead to meaningful and loyal bonds. 

December 12, 2018 | <1 min read

Dr. Ivor Berkowitz, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

"I approach comforting my patients and their families by sitting at my patient's bedside with kindness and respect, aware of religious and cultural customs, and use a vocabulary that everyone in the family will understand."

June 17, 2021 | 5 min read

Lessons from 1865: What clinicians can learn from Juneteenth (archives, 2021)

On June 19 we can work toward unlearning inaccurate history, practicing critical reflection, and engaging in transformative conversations. These steps and ongoing advocacy should help promote health equity and equal opportunities for all—including healthcare professionals.

December 20, 2023 | 3 min read

Unhappy holidays

By Larkin Corrigan, MSW, Portland, Oregon

During “the most wonderful time of the year,” we can remind patients, loved ones, and ourselves, that grief often sits side by side with joy at the holiday table, and that’s ok.  

April 22, 2025 | 5 min read

Let the language live 

Daily clinical interactions, marked by honest communication and empathy, hold unique power for healing and justice. 

January 7, 2020 | 3 min read

Like Father, Like Son—or Possibly Not

By John Launer, MD, London, United Kingdom

Would you advise young people to become a doctor? Reflection from a father and son below.

May 29, 2024 | 1 min read

Unstable housing, unstable health

By Stasia Reynolds, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Routinely asking patients about housing insecurity can help identify those who are at-risk of poor health outcomes. Understanding a patient's living situation can help you provide realistic guidance.  

October 23, 2025 | 2 min read

Move over FOMO 

ROMO—the Relief of Missing Out—is the burnout antidote you can start tonight. Consider skipping the next conference and protecting your weekends to have energy to give exceptional care to every patient. 

May 15, 2023 | 3 min read

Ode to Joy

By Joanne Shay, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When I look for reasons to smile at work, I find them. Simple things like a hug from a colleague or listening to a patient share their story can brighten our days.

December 10, 2018 | 3 min read

Immigrants Should Not Have to Choose Between Health and a Green Card

By Lochan Shah, Neha Anand, Priyal Gandhi

We urge you to leverage your voice as an agent of change by submitting a comment opposing the proposed rule to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before the deadline, TODAY, December 10, 2018. Make your voice heard so that families across the country do not have to choose between their health and their immigration status.

June 14, 2021 | 3 min read

How Trainees Improve The Care of Patients

By Jared Rubenstein, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Leyat Tal, MD, Texas Childrens Hospital

While the experience of being a trainee doesn’t always feel impactful, from our perspective as attending physicians and parents of a sick child, know that what you do matters.