March 14, 2024 | 3 min read

Why sexual orientation and gender identity in the EMR matters 

By Tyler Cornell, MSN/MPH, CRNP (she/her), Johns Hopkins Medicine  

Always ask patients about their gender identity, preferred name, pronouns, and how they define their sexual orientation. This builds trust and helps your patients feel safe to return for follow-up. 

December 4, 2025 | 3 min read

Winter humbles the leaves 

Balance diagnostic exhilaration with goals-of-care conversations centered on the values of the patient and family. 

November 4, 2021 | 3 min read

Dissection And Reintegration

By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania

We sometimes “cut” patients apart to assist in the diagnostic process. We must remember to put them back together; we’re charged with caring for their minds and spirits in addition to their bodies.

March 22, 2018 | 7 min read

Fundamentals for Caring for Transgender Patients

By Paula Neira, JD, MSN, RN, CEN, FAAN, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Improve your skills as you work to support your transgender patients and interact with your transgender colleagues.

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 21, 2018 | 1 min read

Talking With Young Adult Patients About Alcohol

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinicians need to be vigilant to discuss alcohol use with patients and remember that the legal drug, alcohol, causes more morbidity and mortality than opioids.

December 16, 2020 | 2 min read

The Danger of Stereotyping Specialties

By Sarah Temkin, MD, Greater Baltimore Medical Center

Clinicians must critically evaluate the stereotypes that they assign to one another. A diversity of training and backgrounds is beneficial to patient care.

January 29, 2019 | 7 min read

“Good Doctoring”

By Taylor Purvis, MD, St. Vincent Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT

Reflections from a medical student on the practice of medicine as captured in the novels "The Bad Doctor," by Ian Williams, and "A Fortunate Man," by John Berger & Jean Mohr.

April 14, 2022 | 4 min read

Talking About Climate Change With Patients

By Dean Chien, CLOSLER team, Baltimore, Maryland

Climate change affects the health of everyone. When talking with patients about climate change, meet them where they are and listen nonjudgmentally. 

August 18, 2020 | 2 min read

Zebras Are Out There

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

Looking at the big picture and verifying details will help you consider diagnoses that may be unlikely, but still possible.

August 17, 2023 | 3 min read

The Hospital Playlist 

By Kerry Devlin, MMT, LPMT, MT-BC (she/her), Johns Hopkins Medicine

Consider the hospital soundscape and how it may impact patients’ well-being. To create a more soothing stay, silence or turn down monitors if possible. 

June 9, 2025 | 3 min read

When care hurts 

Patients’ past healthcare experiences influence their ability to engage in care. Taking time to learn about their life stories builds trust and empowers them to participate in their healing. 

June 22, 2021 | 1 min read

How You Can Take Action Beyond Pride Month

By Nat Mulkey (they/them), Medical Student, Boston University Medicine

To improve the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ patients, we must commit to being lifelong learners and teachers in this continually evolving space.

June 20, 2019 | 2 min read

Be Brave Enough to Start Conversations That Matter

By Manasa Ayyala, MD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

"Between the World and Me" is a must read. At 152 pages, it's a small investment of time that leaves a large impact. I invite you to read this book with the intent to ask curious questions, to be ok feeling uncomfortable, and to continue this important dialogue.

July 18, 2022 | 2 min read

How to have effective discussions about alcohol 

By Beth McGinty, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Talking with patients about the risks of heavy alcohol consumption and the benefits of change can have a positive impact on their health. 

March 4, 2024 | 2 min read

Getting the diagnosis right 

By Colleen Christmas, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

After arriving at what you think is the diagnosis, pause and consider alternative explanations. For patient populations at high risk for misdiagnosis (women and historically marginalized groups), examine how biases might be influencing your conclusions. 

November 8, 2021 | 1 min read

Lessons Learned From 30 Years of Night Shifts

By Kimberly Turner, MD, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

Patience, stamina, and fortitude are important traits to cultivate in medicine at any and all times.

March 27, 2018 | 2 min read

12 Things I Wish I’d Known 50 Years Ago

By Randy Barker, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, retired

Twelve things I would tell my younger self—all the things I didn’t know then, but wish I had.

September 17, 2024 | 1 min read

Navigating drug shortages

By Carmen Lopez-Arvizu, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In the face of drug shortages, clinicians must become proactive resource navigators. By staying informed, collaborating with patients, and exploring alternative solutions, clinicians can help mitigate the negative impact of shortages.

December 10, 2020 | 3 min read

Coping With Patients’ Heartbreak

By Jared Rubenstein, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

When supporting patients and their loved ones during times of great sadness and loss, cultivating a daily habit of self-care may protect against burnout.

January 14, 2019 | 2 min read

We’re Getting CLOSLER to the Super Bowl!

By Wilma Ferthler, MD, Rural Country Doctor, Northeast Kingdom, Vermont

Football-inspired clinical pearls from Vermont family physician Dr. Wilma Ferthler teach us how to be better clinicians.

April 14, 2022 | 2 min read

“Explainaholics”

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sometimes patients and caregivers feel overwhelmed when clinicians provide too much information. When you sense this to be the case, offering clear recommendations can be helpful.

August 17, 2020 | 1 min read

Top Tips For Starting a New Phase in Your Career

By Christle Nwora, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Making time to care for yourself, asking questions, and letting go of perfection can help you successfully navigate a new chapter in your life.

August 16, 2023 | 1 min read

The Other Medical History

By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine

Learning about the history of medicine can help put current health system challenges in perspective. I was especially struck by the enduring primacy of the patient-doctor relationship. 

May 27, 2025 | 2 min read

Whose knowledge counts?  

Listening closely builds patient trust, which is fundamental to effective care. Dismissing a patient's self-reported observations, even unintentionally, erodes this trust and can prevent you from truly understanding their concerns. 

June 16, 2021 | 1 min read

Why we Must Talk About E-cigarettes with Teen Patients

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Proactively counseling adolescents about the risks of e-cigarette use is essential. The message should acknowledge both the health implications and the pressures that they may feel from their peers.

June 18, 2019 | 2 min read

Navigating the Uncertain: A Book Review of “The Laws of Medicine”

Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, provides a framework to reconcile the uncertainties we constantly experience in our practice of medicine in his book, "The Laws of Medicine."

June 13, 2018 | 1 min read

Behavioral Change Bolstered By Human Touch

By Souvik Chatterjee, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

A human doctor is a critical component of creating change in patient behavior and health.

February 29, 2024 | 1 min read

“It could happen to you”

By Hayley Sparks, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When talking with vaccine-hesitant patients, I bring up the recent measles outbreaks. It can be effective to use current events to motivate better compliance with immunization guidelines. 

November 25, 2025 | 2 min read

Be the other someone in the near-empty room

For patients without family present, pause to say, “I’m here with you.” Offer chaplaincy, social work, and volunteers to accompany dying patients in their final moments. 

November 9, 2021 | 3 min read

Giving Exceptional Care Without Exception

A one-liner works in comedy but leads to biases in medicine. Listening, getting to know, and learning from each patient will allow you to serve them best.

January 27, 2020 | 3 min read

Ethical Dilemmas in Dementia Care Design

By Diana Anderson, MD, MArch, Clincial Geriatrics Fellow, University of California, San Francisco

Innovative dementia care designs raise moral questions about whether deception of patients is ever ethical. The clinically excellent physician tries to avoid deception at all costs.

December 22, 2022 | 2 min read

Bittersweet holidays

By Taryn Schuelke, MS, CT, CCLS, Texas Childrens Hospital

Many experience grief during the holidays. Make sure to acknowledge your patients’ feelings and consider encouraging them to heal through ritual. 

September 4, 2024 | 2 min read

Knowing when to step back 

Patients may need time to process their thoughts and reflect when making major decisions about their care. Having conversations in stages may help them arrive in the best place.  

March 18, 2019 | 2 min read

The Truth About Sex

By Khalil Ghanem, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

How you phrase questions when obtaining a sexual history can mitigate the impact of social desirability bias and enhance the accuracy of the information that is obtained.

April 12, 2022 | 2 min read

Describing the Scribe: How We Help Clinicians

By Dean Chien, CLOSLER team, Baltimore, Maryland

Medical scribes allow clinicians to focus more fully on the patient in front of them. 

August 10, 2020 | 2 min read

Debriefing after death (archives, 2020)

By Christopher Bennett, MD, Stanford University

Reflecting on a patient's death as a team provides an opportunity to process emotions and strengthen team dynamics.

July 10, 2018 | 1 min read

Pause Before Hospitalizing the Elderly

By Samuel Durso, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Confusion among hospitalized older adults is common and dangerous. The hospital environment should be avoided if at all possible, with a goal of managing acutely ill older adults at home.

May 13, 2025 | 2 min read

The unseen front line: lessons from my military deployment  

In a field hospital, one learns quickly about clear communication and thoughtful decision making. These behaviors and working collaboratively with others are just as critical across all clinical settings. 

June 6, 2019 | 7 min read

May Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The art museum is a space that has lessons to teach about clinical excellence, and fosters both the personal development and professional identity formation of clinicians.

July 14, 2022 | 2 min read

How to Talk to Children About Gun Violence

By Carol Vidal, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Give children time and space to talk about their worries and listen closely. Remember, it’s always best for children to first hear the news from a trusted adult.

February 19, 2024 | 2 min read

Mitigating colon cancer in young patients

By Ekta Gupta, MBBS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

There's and increasing risk of colon cancer in younger patients. Clinicians need to be diligent in considering the possibility of colon cancer.

November 21, 2025 | 2 min read

The promise and pitfalls of GLP-1s 

This new class of weight loss drugs is not a magic fix. Work with patients to set realistic goals, start low and titrate slowly, and counsel on GI risks. 

January 15, 2020 | 1 min read

Extra Minutes

By Scott Newsome, DO, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Every extra minute a clinician spends with a patient is worth it.

December 19, 2022 | 2 min read

Dismantling ableism in medicine

By Kerry Devlin, MMT, LPMT, MT-BC (she/her), Johns Hopkins Medicine

What does it mean to co-construct a plan of care with disabled patients? Their desires may not be what you expect.

September 4, 2024 | 1 min read

Validating a patient’s experience of pain

To effectively treat opioid use disorder, clinicians must consider a patient's both physical and psychological experiences.  

August 3, 2020 | 1 min read

Book Review of “Elderhood”

By Michelle Gyenes, MS, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Ageism is a form of discrimination that contributes to poor health outcomes. To mitigate its effects, we must enact policies that address biases in ourselves, our workplaces, and our communities.

August 15, 2023 | 2 min read

The Importance of Humanities in Medicine

By Mike McCarthy, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Engaging with and studying the humanities can help us give better patient care. Literature, art, and history remind us that patients are whole persons with lives that exist beyond medical problems. 

May 6, 2025 | 2 min read

Healing from the emotional toll of a medical error  

Mistakes in patient care are not uncommon. Clinicians can lean on their support systems to recover from stressful events at work. Taking care of yourself enables you to continue giving compassionate care.