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.  

July 23, 2025 | 2 min read

Denial difficulties 

Patients are often faced with automatic denials from insurance companies. When advocating for patients, healthcare professionals can stay calm, present facts clearly, and prioritize the patient’s best interests. 

June 1, 2020 | 3 min read

Tribute to the Med School Class of 2020

By Donald Berwick, MD

The pandemic is an ongoing reminder of the privilege of caring for our fellow humans. It also gives healthcare professionals the opportunity to reconnect with our deepest values—healing, justice, equity, respect, and love for our work.

October 3, 2018 | <1 min read

Dr. Mike Fingerhood: A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Every time I see a patient I ask them about their home environment, and what the main stressors in their life are right now.

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.

July 19, 2018 | 1 min read

Reflections on “Will You Forgive Me for Saving You?”

By Ivor Berkowitz, MBBCh, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine

A pediatric intensivist offers reflections on a moving piece from the NEJM.

October 23, 2024 | 2 min read

Educated lucky: Making critical decisions without all the answers 

By Edana Mann, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In critical care, we often make life-saving decisions with incomplete information. Teamwork is essential, and sometimes acting on our best-educated guess is the only option. These moments remind us of life’s fragility and the importance of trusting our instincts and each other. 

November 10, 2023 | 2 min read

Final journeys

By Elizabeth Gundersen, MD, University of Colorado

Today, we remember patients who have served our country. We are grateful for the honor and privilege of caring for these veterans through their final journeys.

May 28, 2024 | 3 min read

Catching Zzzs

By Kimberlee Parker, DO, MPH, Baylor College of Medicine

Many traditional practices, like pre-dawn pre-rounding, disrupt patient sleep. Prioritizing patient comfort can be a form of compassion and contribute to healing. 

July 8, 2020 | 2 min read

Appreciating ALL Healthcare Workers

By Gaye Cunnane, MD, PhD, Trinity College Dublin

All healthcare workers contribute meaningfully to the care of patients. Taking the time to offer a kind word to those who may be underappreciated can make an enormous difference.

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.

September 24, 2018 | 1 min read

Healing, Counseling, and Consoling

By Satish Shanbhag, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

An essential part of clinically excellent care is empathy with our patients—a trait that can be cultivated by visualizing ourselves as an extension of our patient’s family helping them get through a rough patch in life.

May 15, 2018 | 1 min read

Gratitude as an antidote to burnout 

By Jennifer Janus, MD, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

By focusing on the positive aspects of medicine, clinicians reduce stress and provide more compassionate care. Happy Thanksgiving! 

December 14, 2023 | 2 min read

Listening for meaning

By Ben Roberts, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, ACHPN, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In my palliative care career, I’ve learned that aligning care with patient goals is one of the most important parts of clinical excellence. To do this, I listen to truly understand what the patient wants. 

October 21, 2024 | 2 min read

Micro-kindness, macro-impact

By Sadiqua Sadaf, MBBS, Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India

To make others feel like they belong, practice small acts of kindness—for example, offering a warm greeting. Such efforts can significantly contribute to another's well-being.

June 4, 2019 | 3 min read

Haiku on Phone

By Crystal Jing Jing Yeo, MD, PhD, MassGeneral, Brigham and Women Hospital, Harvard Medical School

To be a true healer is to heal not just in life, but also through dying and death.

June 21, 2022 | 2 min read

“Can’t you put him down?”

By Ivor Berkowitz, MBBCh, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Medical decision making for critically ill patients is complicated and difficult for everyone involved. It is our responsibility to ensure that patients and families are adequately informed to make choices that align with their values.   

July 30, 2018 | 2 min read

Stepping Forward

By Dorianne Feldman, MD, MS, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

There is no greater reward than the gratitude of a patient you've helped to heal.

July 10, 2025 | 2 min read

Lessons in quiet courage 

As a new doctor, I cared for an unwaveringly optimistic patient with systemic sclerosis. She reminded me that holistic care requires deep listening—not just to medical histories, but to the hopes and dreams that carry patients forward, even when medicine can do no more. 

May 27, 2020 | 2 min read

The Weight of the White Coat

By Margot Kelly-Hedrick, MD, University of Washington

As the daughter of a frontline physician, and an incoming medical student, the pandemic raises questions about both personal and professional obligations. Open and honest conversations about such responsibilities are critical to professional identity formation.

May 3, 2023 | 1 min read

Love And Loss

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When a patient is unresponsive, loved ones may have differing ideas about the patient’s condition. We can hold these contradictions with compassion and see them as expressions of love.

March 5, 2018 | 2 min read

Introducing Monday Mission and Values Statements

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Begin with the end in mind. ~Stephen Covey

May 14, 2018 | 1 min read

Teamwork, Compassion, and Respect

By Derek Fine, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

A clinical mission statement from a nephrologist: values important to the best patient centered clinical care include teamwork, compassion, and respect.

December 13, 2023 | 1 min read

Micro-acts of joy 

Focusing on your own wellness doesn’t take a lot of time. A simple practice like listing three things you’re grateful for each day can reduce burnout. 

August 8, 2018 | <1 min read

“A CLOSLER Look:” Interview With Dr. Greenough

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

"Every note I write, I include something about the patient as a person. Everyone needs to understand who the person is who is experiencing the disease." Watch and listen as Dr. Greenough shares a couple pearls of wisdom from over six decades of clinical experience in a five minute YouTube interview.

May 29, 2019 | <1 min read

Dr. John Sperati, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Uncovering your patients' individual health goals takes time, but is always worth it.

June 11, 2018 | 5 min read

Caring For The Patient

By Michael Carducci, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

An oncologist shares his inspiring clinical mission and values statement on noticing beauty and knowing his patients.

May 7, 2024 | 3 min read

“My patient is dying”

By Nakiya Showell, MD, MPH, MHS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Excellent patient care goes beyond medical expertise. Building relationships, clear communication, and emotional intelligence are crucial for compassionate care, especially in the face of critical illness. 

July 8, 2025 | 2 min read

Walking the road with Jeremy 

By constantly challenging me to connect my decisions back to the patient’s real needs, Dr. Walston pushed me to become a more thoughtful and compassionate clinician-scientist, always grounding my care and research in what matters most to those I serve. 

May 21, 2020 | 1 min read

The Importance of Writing For Popular Media Outlets

By Koushik Kasanagottu, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In this era of misinformation, we have a moral responsibility as physician-citizens to write for media outlets that our patients read. Sharing accurate health information with the general public can inform decision-making and improve health.

April 26, 2023 | 2 min read

Saying Yes to Joy in Practice

By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Our patients and colleagues can inspire us. Being open to having fun and making genuine relationships in clinical settings can promote wellness. 

March 3, 2018 | 2 min read

Six Steps to Make Wellness Work

Our well-being as physicians is an essential part of professionalism. If we aren't well, we can't provide the best care to our patients, who deserve our best.

March 31, 2021 | 2 min read

Building on The Legacy of Pioneering Women in Medicine

By Shauna Maty, MPH, Medical Student, St. George University

Increasing the diversity of clinicians may improve patient outcomes, as well as the health of patients’ communities

December 11, 2023 | 3 min read

A jagged landscape  

By Jen Nixon, PhD, Cone Health, North Carolina, Kardie Tobb, DO, MS, Cone Health, North Carolina

Navigating the pathway to finding help for patients lacking resources can be challenging. It may be helpful to first focus on listening to and understanding patient barriers to care.

October 16, 2024 | 2 min read

Best practices for motivating patients  

By Zoobia Chaudhry, MBBS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

To motivate patients toward long-term behavior change, healthcare professionals should try to identify patients’ intrinsic goals and align care plans. 

May 22, 2019 | <1 min read

Dr. Jonathan Efron, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Do today's work well, so that tomorrow will take care of itself.

May 31, 2022 | 2 min read

3 Good Things

By Richard Wardrop , MD, PhD, Cleveland Clinic

Spring is a time of graduations, assuming new roles, and career transitions. It’s also a time to practice gratitude, lead, and strive for excellence. 

May 7, 2024 | 1 min read

Shifting careers

By Zeina Moukarzel, MD, MPH, Beirut, Lebanon

As healthcare professionals, there are multiple ways to have a positive impact on the world. If and when you step away from patient care, thoughtfully consider what will bring fulfillment and purpose. 

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. 

May 14, 2020 | 3 min read

Stay at Home When Possible as Restrictions Ease

By Nina Shapiro, MD, University of California Los Angeles

It’s important to remind patients and loved ones that avoiding unnecessary socialization and travel can save lives.

September 17, 2018 | 2 min read

Listening, Educating, and Giving Reassurance

By Sharon Solomon, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

By focusing on one patient at a time, 35-40 per day, my mission and approach to patient care is to listen, to educate, to intervene with treatment when I can, and to provide reassurance.

May 11, 2018 | <1 min read

Share A Story In One Tweet

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Hope you’re as moved as we were by these touching short stories from both healthcare providers and patients.

November 27, 2023 | 2 min read

Immunity illusions

By Abraham Nussbaum, MD, Denver Health

When my classmate in medical school died of chronic illness, I was finally able to imagine myself as a patient. I now treat patients with the compassion that I would want to receive in the hospital.  

October 15, 2024 | 3 min read

Finding healing in the wound  

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

In caring for patients, embrace the paradox of the wound. Recognize that illness can be an opportunity for their growth and personal transformation. Support them in exploring the spiritual and emotional dimensions of the experience. 

May 23, 2019 | 1 min read

The Orchid

By Susan Aucott, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The orchid: each time I see the growth of a new leaf, it reminds me of the hope that can come even in the midst of sorrow. And when a blossom appears, it reminds me of the hope and caring that I have the privilege of sharing with every family I have the honor to encounter.

April 6, 2022 | 3 min read

The Last Inning

By Mark Duncan, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sometimes, patients have the opportunity to write a beautiful concluding chapter to their lives. We can encourage them in this endeavor.  

May 7, 2024 | 2 min read

Kids in tow 

By Martina Anto-Ocrah, PhD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh

I once had to bring my four children with me to an OB-GYN appointment. It reminded me that it’s important to recognize that patients may have challenges getting to clinic, and to work with them to find solutions. 

July 6, 2020 | 3 min read

Dropping Out, Surviving, or Thriving

By Jina Sinskey, MD, University of California San Francisco

The practice of medicine inherently involves intense emotional experiences. Instead of avoiding these feelings, we must embrace them if we want to grow.

March 2, 2018 | 4 min read

The Joy of Mentoring

By Ivor Berkowitz, MBBCh, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Making time to mentor a high school student can be refreshing and rejuvenating for all clinicians.

November 15, 2023 | 2 min read

Rolling boulders uphill

By Jennifer Lycette, MD, rural oncologist in the Pacific Northwest

When my patient was incarcerated, I realized that I could still be present and caring despite challenging circumstances.