June 19, 2019 | <1 min read Dr. William Ravekes, A CLOSLER Look By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor Taking the time to build trusting relationships with kids and their families is essential.
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.
August 29, 2018 | <1 min read Interview With Dr. Geetha: A CLOSLER Look By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor On the importance of meaningful long-term patient-physician partnerships: enjoy a 3-minute video interview with Dr. Duvuru Geetha.
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.
April 6, 2018 | 1 min read The Human Tragedy of the Opioid Crisis By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Addiction impacts more than just my patient, but their entire family. And our job as doctors is—in some way—to care for all of them, to bring them in close, and to try to relieve their suffering in some way.
The author's pediatrician was an early role model in her development as a neurologist. October 15, 2018 | 1 min read Respect, Empathy, and Communciation By Andrea Corse, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine My approach to care is to provide the kind of care you would want for yourself and your family.
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.
March 19, 2025 | 3 min read Lessons from caring for Syrian refugees By Nagina Khan, PhD, University of Kent Seek to understand the unique cultural context of patients who have undergone trauma. This is paramount to building trust and providing effective care—especially for vulnerable populations, like refugees.
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.
June 26, 2019 | <1 min read Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, A CLOSLER Look By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor We need to think of ourselves as community members who happen to be clinicians.
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.
September 30, 2025 | 1 min read More time It is best for goals-of-care conversations to happen as early as possible. Clinicians can use these discussions to help guide shared decision making around end-of-life care.
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.
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.
April 4, 2023 | 1 min read Insurance Denial Fatigue By Justin McArthur, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine After spending hours with patients deciding what tests or treatments are most appropriate, guess how many seconds it takes for an insurance doctor to reject the claim?
October 8, 2018 | <1 min read Alleviating Patients’ Emotional Burden By Paul Manson, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine My approach to clinical care involves making a dual diagnosis for each patient: identifying the problem, and understanding how that problem affects the patient psychologically and emotionally.
April 1, 2021 | 3 min read April Fool’s Joke: The Text Message By Roy Ziegelstein, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Don’t be a fool. IMHO, getting to know patients as individuals isn’t necessary. Is it rewarding? I’m ROFL.
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.
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.
March 14, 2022 | 1 min read A Woman of Faith in Medicine By Kimberly Turner, MD, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Having faith in something helps me mitigate burnout and give empathic care to all patients.
"Art and Surgery," by Janina Cerbetowitzc, Royal Liverpool Hospital. September 23, 2025 | 3 min read Keeping humanity at the heart of surgery Exceptional care means seeing—and honoring—the patient behind every procedure. A few ways to achieve this can include compassionate communication, gentle touch, and taking time to clarify anything that is poorly understood.
July 30, 2020 | 2 min read Taking a Moment to Pause By Jareatha Abdul-Raheem, Med Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine When hearing disappointing news or encountering stress, making time to step back and reassess may help with coping and gaining perspective.
March 29, 2023 | 1 min read Remarkable Human Spirit By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine In the aftermath of my patient’s devastating consequences of illness, his reaction was anything but what I expected.
"Facilitate finding new ways to stay busy and have fun. Recovery is not punishment. Helping your patient find new ways to have fun is crucial." 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.
March 18, 2021 | 5 min read The 24 Notes of Taps By William Wright, DO, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine Let us honor the bravery of clinicians who have sacrificed everything in this pandemic to serve others.
August 27, 2018 | 1 min read Practicing the Golden Rule By Scott Newsome, DO, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine A key element in treating people with chronic illness is partnering with their family to develop an individualized management plan.
November 14, 2023 | 3 min read Authenticity By Charlene Gamaldo, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Bringing your full self to work is a purposeful strategy for flourishing. This may also allow you to connect more deeply with patients and colleagues.
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.
February 23, 2022 | 1 min read Why we Must be Mentors Mentoring is essential to supporting trainees. Helping learners find their passion and grow will ultimately allow them to find happiness and meaning in their work.
September 17, 2025 | 2 min read Medicine in shackles: reflections from the ICU I advocated for our team to humanize the care of our patient—namely removing handcuffs at the end of life. Even if you cannot change the outcome, speaking up for patients is one way to uphold dignity and embody the values of our profession.
"Caregiving is a bit of a mix of leaping and stepping—but in both cases, you never really know what's up next." April 30, 2024 | 2 min read Taking the leap By Jennifer Woodard, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin Caring for those with dementia extends to their caregivers. Often, that means simply being there to offer support.
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.
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.
March 11, 2021 | 1 min read How to Create Sanctuaries for Patients By Michelle Ogunwole, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine To create safe spaces for historically marginalized patients, slow down and gather more information when conflicts arise. Be aware of your biases and give patients the benefit of the doubt.
February 13, 2025 | 2 min read “Facul-tea” By Laura Tafe, MD, Dartmouth-Hitchcock To deepen relationships with colleagues, intentionally cultivate community by establishing regular, shared experiences—like a tea—that encourage connecting. Such gatherings may improve the overall well-being of the team.
November 13, 2023 | 2 min read How clinicians can address housing insecurity By Craig Pollack, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins Medicine For patients with housing insecurity, clinicians can connect them with a social worker and share a list of community-based resources. We must also advocate for policies that increase access to safe and affordable housing.
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.
February 14, 2022 | 2 min read Patients Admitted to Hospitals May be Sicker Than Ever By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Because of the pandemic, some patients have avoided healthcare settings and professionals. Outreach to these patients is needed.
April 24, 2024 | 1 min read The power of teamwork By Joanne Shay, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Our multidisciplinary team collaborates to deliver excellent patient care. Shared problem-solving from diverse perspectives is critical when facing complex issues.
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.
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 8, 2018 | 3 min read Compassion is Contagious By Colleen Christmas, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Patients are observing us while we interact with others in the hospital, and this can have a tremendous impact on the trust they put in our care.
January 2, 2025 | 2 min read Gratitude and goodbyes By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine The privilege of longitudinal care is witnessing patients grow and evolve over time. Saying goodbye to patients can be filled with both sadness and immense gratitude for the opportunity to have been a part of their lives.
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 4, 2018 | 2 min read Giving My Best to Each Patient By Ross Donehower, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine An oncologist shares his clinical mission statement, with the ultimate goal of making sure that each patient feels deeply cared for.
September 4, 2025 | 2 min read To comfort always Providing compassionate companionship to patients can be as healing as any medicine when a cure is no longer possible.
Miami, FL, USA - March 23, 2024: Passing out Narcan nasal spray at the Ultra Music Festival Miami. April 23, 2024 | 1 min read Outside the clinic walls: making Narcan accessible to everyone Addiction is a chronic disease that requires a combined approach of medical treatment and community engagement. Clinicians must work to educate their community about addiction and provide them with resources like Narcan.
The author and her mother enjoying the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.. Copyright by the author. 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.
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.
May 7, 2018 | 2 min read The 5 Core Beliefs of a Hospitalist By Daniel Brotman, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine As a hospitalist, I'm in a position to establish intense relationships with patients. Here are my five core beliefs, values, and premises that govern my approach to clinical care in this setting.
