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.

May 24, 2018 | 2 min read

My Professional Totem

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

A psychiatrist shares her story of how a painting by Raphael has reminded her of of why she wanted to become a doctor and what the profession of medicine is all about.

July 24, 2025 | 1 min read

The healing power of Tai Chi 

Embracing cultural exchange opens new pathways to patient motivation, connection, and healing. Integrating Tai Chi into rehabilitation can transform routine exercises into experiences that foster engagement and well-being. 

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.

August 13, 2018 | 1 min read

How I Uphold My Hippocratic Oath

By Marcia Canto, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

I try to take care of each patient as if he or she is my close relative or friend. I believe this is the only way that we can uphold our Hippocratic oath in the modern era of medicine, which tends to depersonalize physician-patient interactions. 

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.

November 2, 2020 | 4 min read

Prescription for a healthy future—vote!

By Deanna Behrens, MD, Advocate Children\'s Hospital, Elizabeth Mack, MD, Jenna Miller, MD, Katherine Hoops, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinicians have a responsibility to advocate for policies that can improve the health of all. We must take our civic responsibility seriously and make a plan to vote. 

July 27, 2023 | 2 min read

Book Review of “The Pastoral Clinic” 

By Juliana Fan, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Garcia’s ethnography highlights the need for healthcare professionals to foster hope, particularly when working with patients with opioid use disorder. Remember to be kind, patient, and positive with those who are suffering. 

June 5, 2019 | <1 min read

Dr. David Hellmann, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

The greatest joy is to know your patients as people.

June 5, 2018 | 2 min read

Clinical Excellence: It Takes A Village

By William Greenough, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The key to clinical excellence in long term care rests not solely on the physician, but also with hands-on bedside caregivers—the unsung heroes of healthcare—nurses, and in this patient story, a recreational therapist.

February 6, 2024 | 2 min read

Co-bearers of suffering

By Mike McCarthy, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sometimes a patient’s pain can’t be eliminated. However, we can still walk with them as a co-bearer of suffering. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

October 27, 2020 | 3 min read

Beyond The CV

By Kayla Eboreime, Medical Student, University of Texas Medical Branch

There will always be both accolades and critiques that come your way. Neither define who you are. Nourishing your whole self can maintain balance so that you can flourish professionally and personally.

July 19, 2023 | 2 min read

Sacred Spaces

By Eric Last, DO, Northwell Health, Wantagh, New York

Patients often experience the most vulnerable moments of their lives with clinicians. These shared intimacies refuel my passion for caregiving and are a fulfilling part of medical practice.  

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.

August 24, 2021 | 2 min read

5 Lessons From my Nonlinear Career in Medicine

By Thelben Mullett, MD, Seattle, Washington

Instead of asking medical students what specialty they intend to pursue, we should help them reflect on their natural strengths and values in planning their career.

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.

September 29, 2022 | 2 min read

Documenting humanity (archives, 2022)

By Jane Abernethy, MD, MBE, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinicians are in a powerful position to advocate for undocumented people, who are among the most vulnerable patients. By acknowledging the courage of this population, we can affirm their strength and resilience.

June 26, 2024 | 2 min read

White Coat Ceremony 

By Richard Schaefer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Medical school traditions and ceremonies are to be cherished and appreciated. They also provide educators with an opportunity to reflect on the importance of teaching and mentoring. 

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

September 22, 2020 | 1 min read

Voting as part of clinical excellence

By Margot Kelly-Hedrick, MD, University of Washington

Voting is a way you can advocate for your patients and improve health outcomes.

July 12, 2023 | 3 min read

Act now: save the planet

By Evans Brown, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Climate change is a public health emergency. As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to advocate for reducing carbon emissions to ensure everyone’s health. 

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.

May 25, 2018 | <1 min read

“The Secret of Quality is Love”

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Connecting with patients, caring deeply, and remembering your sense of calling will bring joy and fulfillment to the practice of medicine.

January 29, 2024 | 2 min read

Life after grief 

By Jaime Jump, DO, Texas Childrens Hospital

I was invited to a baby shower for the sibling of a baby who had died in my care. Talking with the parents taught me that beyond sadness, there can be hope and joy.  

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 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.

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. 

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.

July 9, 2018 | 2 min read

Educator, Advocate, Surgeon, and Caregiver for Life

By Matthew Weiss, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

As a cancer surgeon, my approach to care focuses heavily on communication with patients and their loved ones. Quite simply, I treat patients as I would want to be treated myself as a patient. 

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.