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Moving Us Closer To Osler
A Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence Initiative
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Creative Arts in Medicine
Connecting with Patients
Passion in the Medical Profession
Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence
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If weather permits, advise patients to plan their feast outside this Thanksgiving,

November 12, 2020 | 1 min read

How to Have Healthy Holidays

By Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Helping patients plan safe get-togethers can slow the spread of COVID-19. Following guidelines may allow patients to connect with their family.

May 28, 2019 | 3 min read

Supporting my Patients who Smoke

By Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

It's important to make sure that the responsibility for addressing tobacco dependence is placed on the shoulders of clinicians, and off of the shoulders of the afflicted.

October 1, 2024 | 2 min read

Supporting parents before they break 

By Mackenzie Sommerhalder, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Many patients experience distress because of their role as parents and caregivers. It is a pediatrics “best practice” to screen parents and offer resources for mental health support.  

June 20, 2023 | 1 min read

The Road Not Taken 

By Antonio Forte, LMSW, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Larkin Corrigan, MSW, Portland, Oregon

If patients can’t manage on their own, clinicians and staff can help them use social support networks and other resources to find transportation to their appointments. Virtual visits can also be considered. 

September 9, 2020 | 1 min read

We’re All in This Together

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

With the added stress caused by the pandemic, make an extra effort to screen your patients for anxiety and depression. Empathizing about shared concerns may facilitate patient expression.

November 23, 2020 | 3 min read

Working With Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

By Galina Portnoy, PhD, Yale School of Medicine

In addition to identifying survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), complementary efforts are needed to detect those at risk of perpetrating IPV to prevent future incidents.

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. 

October 6, 2022 | 2 min read

Repairing Trust

By Fiona Miller, medical student, UCSF, Pringl Miller, MD, San Francisco, California

Establishing rapport with each patient includes asking about previous experiences with the healthcare system. If there was a negative experience, understand that rebuilding trust may take time and commitment.  

Hannah Oswalt

Raised on Long Island, New York, I headed south to Clemson University for my undergraduate degree (and warmer weather).  Shortly after, I made my way back up the East Coast and landed in Baltimore where I earned a Master of Health Science at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. I now help care for patients as…

September 2, 2020 | 4 min read

A Call for Advocacy in Medicine

By Sara Wallam, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Systemic racism is prevalent throughout our society. To dismantle disparities in health outcomes for minority patients, clinicians must advocate for their patients at the local level and for communities on a regional and national scale.

August 16, 2022 | 2 min read

Outbreaks as Opportunities

By Jade Cobern, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Talking about monkeypox and the return of polio can remind caregivers that vaccinating young children against other illnesses is essential.

Practicing humility can improve team-based care.

November 10, 2020 | 2 min read

Moving From Empathy to Humility

By Barret Michalec, PhD, Arizona State University

Acting with humility is granting someone else a higher status than one claims for themselves. This acknowledgement of respect is critical to being an effective healthcare professional.

Photo by David Kopacz.

March 9, 2022 | 6 min read

Being a naturalist to improve the health of all

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Listening and closely observing patients, in the way we appreciate and notice nature, can promote humanistic care and clinician well-being.

February 17, 2021 | 1 min read

How to Talk to Patients About Unnecessary Antibiotics

By Benjamin Miller, Johns Hopkins University, Sara Keller, MD, MPH, MSPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When talking with patients about antibiotics that are not indicated, emphasize personal potential side effects such as yeast infections and diarrhea.

May 7, 2020 | 5 min read

Captivity and COVID-19

By Cesar Lopez, MD-PhD student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Zackary Berger, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Severely ill incarcerated individuals will be hospitalized at disproportionately high rates during this pandemic. As always, healthcare professionals should treat them with dignity and respect. Better care of those who are imprisoned may help with our public health efforts and response.

May 3, 2021 | 6 min read

Why we Must Learn About Our Patients’ Communities

By Daniel Thomas, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Make time to learn about and invest in the community you serve to deepen your connection with patients.

July 18, 2024 | 2 min read

The French secret 

By Alisha Dziarski, MS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinicians might consider recommending interactive recreational activities to some patients rather than non-specific exercise guidelines. These endeavors provide exercise, community, and social interaction all in one. 

September 13, 2023 | 1 min read

Firearm Suicides on The Rise

By Katherine Hoops, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Paul Nestadt, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

To stem the increase in self-inflicted gun deaths, we must work toward early and accurate diagnosis of mental illness, as well as advocate for better firearm laws.

Dr. Margaret Chisolm enjoying an outdoor art installation at the Glenstone. "FOREST (for a thousand years), 2012." Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller.

February 6, 2019 | 5 min read

On Looking

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

The arts and humanities show us how to live as human beings. Our encounters with art help us to be better healthcare professionals, and give us insights that will help our learners and patients lead meaningful and purposeful lives.

November 2, 2021 | 2 min read

What All Clinicians Must Know About End-of-Life Care

By Pringl Miller, MD, San Francisco, California

Initiating and withdrawing life-sustaining medical treatment is the patient’s or their surrogate's decision, not ours. We must always honor their wishes.

September 28, 2021 | 1 min read

Considerations When Talking With Patients About Cannabis

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The medical literature on cannabis use is not clear, making it difficult to know what to tell patients. Share both positives and negatives about using marijuana, and help your patient make the best care plan for them.

"Odysseus in front of Scylla and Charybdis." Henry Fuseli. 1794-1796. Public domain.

November 7, 2019 | 4 min read

Responsible Opioid Prescribing

By Travis Rieder, PhD, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

Responsible opioid prescribing requires navigating between the Scylla of over-prescribing and the Charybdis of under-prescribing. Clinicians can work toward this goal by initiating prescriptions when (and only when) appropriate, managing them over the long-term, and knowing how to compassionately deprescribe when the time comes.

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.

"New Zealand Landscape," original artwork by the author, 2011.

July 18, 2019 | 4 min read

Circle Medicine: A Holistic Approach to Health for Clinicians and Patients

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

It can be helpful to see the circle path of the hero's journey as the healer's journey, the path that we take through our lifelong medical education. For the true healer, this is not a journey we make just once, but periodically we embark on exploring new depths of the suffering of the world, reaching deep into ourselves to find new resources for healing to bring into our work and world.

September 12, 2019 | 3 min read

Connecting climate change to patient care (archives, 2019)

Healthcare professionals must confront the health threats posed by climate change. To safeguard the health of all humanity, we should take a leadership role in addressing this critical issue.

The author having fun ice skating with colleagues at Patterson Park, Baltimore, Maryland.

February 25, 2019 | 5 min read

General Internal Medicine: An Opportunity to Engage Holistically

By Paul O'Rourke, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

General internal medicine focuses on the importance of knowing and treating the whole patient. The entire patient, in their biopsychosocial context, must always be considered to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.

October 11, 2022 | 6 min read

Learning About Your Patients And Their Communities

By Hailey Haffey, PhD, University of Utah

Receiving patient and community stories with thoughtful attention can help serve the aims of equity in healthcare. 

September 18, 2018 | 3 min read

No Blushing! How to Talk About Sex With All Patients

By Helene Hedian, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Engaging in open, nonjudgmental discussions about patients’ sexual health provides an opportunity to assess risk, screen for sexual dysfunction, provide counseling, and offer appropriate vaccinations.

"An Infinity Room Installation," Yayoi Kusama. Wikivisually.com. Public Domain.

December 19, 2019 | 5 min read

November Art Museum Challenge

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

The reality of clinical practice can be complex and uncertain and these sessions away from the clinics in and around the art museum space allow students through haptic exploration to become more comfortable with ambiguity.

Photograph by Dr. Margaret Chisolm.

January 30, 2020 | 6 min read

December 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 an emerging informal educational space for the health professions. Here, transformative learning theory provides educators with a model to understand how, through systematically challenging learners’ preconceived beliefs, assumptions, and values, students can grow in their developing professional role.

A Reversed Retrogress: Scene 1 (The Purple Shall Govern) (2013), Mary Sibande. Courtesy of the artist and Somerset House London. Photograph by Flora Smyth Zahra.

October 28, 2019 | 5 min read

September Art Museum Challenge

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

By providing a creative space in which healthcare professionals can build skills integral to clinical practice, while also expressing their vulnerabilities and humanity, art museum-based education can humanize healthcare and provide an antidote to burnout.

June 26, 2018 | 1 min read

Harnessing Digital Technology for Clinical Excellence

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Digital technology can be leveraged for the greater good of clinically excellent patient care. Social media tools like Twitter enable you to connect with healthcare stakeholders from around the world.

Édouard Manet: "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère," 1881-1882. This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: Public domain This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or less.

August 6, 2019 | 7 min read

July Art Museum Challenge

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

The skills required in the clinic are the same as those in the art gallery: to examine, investigate, embrace ambiguity, consider multiple interpretations, reflect, collaborate, and learn.

April 13, 2023 | 5 min read

Navigating Conversations About Psychedelics With Patients

By Natalie Gukasyan, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

There’s been growing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. This requires that healthcare professionals be well informed and prepared to discuss this experimental therapy.

April 13, 2020 | 3 min read

Social Distancing, Not Emotional Distancing

By Loveleena Virk, MD, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Center, California.

Creating space to recognize and manage feelings of helplessness is critical to prevent burnout and maintain wellness during the pandemic. We share strategies in this piece to help you cope during these challenging times.

November 23, 2021 | 3 min read

Preventive Care And COVID

By Aline Charabaty, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

As a gastroenterologist, I’ve been encouraging people to continue with colon cancer screening through the pandemic. A delay may have serious health consequences.

December 10, 2024 | 1 min read

A breath of fresh air

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Healthcare professionals can prioritize ongoing conversations about the risks of smoking and vaping with young patients, tailoring their approach to address specific concerns and misconceptions.

October 31, 2024 | 3 min read

The human cost of toxic work culture 

By Laura Hanyok, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Healthcare professionals often experience unrealistic work expectations. If this becomes too much, clinicians can seek support, set boundaries, and even consider making a change. 

Window at St. Leopold’s Church, depicting the seven corporal works of mercy. Photograph by Margaret S. Chisolm

September 18, 2019 | 7 min read

August Art Museum Challenge

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

Clinical learning and practice are not removed from cultural and political realities. As clinical educators, it is our responsibility to create both humanistic learning environments that inculcate respect for the ultimate purpose of healthcare: the well-working of the human being as a whole.

Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Gallery (Gallery 232), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, featuring "Daughters of Edward Darley Boit," by John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925). Photograph by Flora Smyth Zahra.

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.

"L'Atelier au mimosa," Pierre Bonnard.

May 13, 2019 | 7 min read

April Art Museum Challenge

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

Slow looking can enable clinicians to see more deeply, think more critically, and engage more meaningfully in patient care. Time spent in a museum supports clinician wellness and nurtures student professional identity formation.

hearts

September 10, 2019 | 1 min read

3 Reasons why Shared Decision-making Matters

By Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, PMRA Plastic Surgery

When patients and clinicians arrive at a treatment plan together, patients feel more involved, confident, and satisfied with their care.

Dr. Margaret Chisolm captures a photograph of the painting, "John, 1st Baron Byron," 2013, Kehinde Wiley (American, born in 1977), at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

April 8, 2019 | 5 min read

On Looking: March Museum Visit

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

Visual Thinking Strategies and the Personal Response Tour are two examples of museum-based pedagogical practice that build critical thinking skills, foster empathy, and allow for reflective space away from the clinic.

October 17, 2023 | 1 min read

Partnering With Pharmacists in Ambulatory Care

By Heather Folz, PharmD, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Clinicians and pharmacists can work together to give holistic and comprehensive patient care. This requires understanding each other’s expertise. 

October 12, 2020 | 2 min read

Advising Parents on a Safe Halloween

By Jade Cobern, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Peyton Pike, MS, CCLS, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Rosemary Hawkins, MS, CCLS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

By being creative, everyone can safely celebrate Halloween this year. Beyond your household, consider holding a neighborhood physically distanced costume parade.

March 12, 2020 | 4 min read

What I learned from my primary care mentors

By Colleen Farrell, MD, New York University

All of us can learn from primary care clinicians, who know that listening, compassion, and connection are the foundations of clinical excellence.

September 6, 2018 | 2 min read

The Power of Finding Common Journeys Between You and Your Patients

By Sherita Golden, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Our patients are deeply impacted by their community experiences outside of the healthcare setting. As physicians it is imperative that we lead by example in understanding our patients’ social challenges so that we can more comprehensively address their medical issues by treating the “whole person” and not just the disease.

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. 

September 27, 2023 | 1 min read

Guardrails And Ambulances 

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Over 100,000 Americans die every year from overdoses, and most are preventable. Discuss with patients and loved ones the dangers of having old prescription or counterfeit pills, as well as the importance of keeping naloxone on hand.

April 6, 2020 | 1 min read

Addiction Recovery During the Pandemic

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We are all stressed by the great uncertainty related to COVID-19, but for our patients with addiction, it is much greater. Check in with your patients and support them in finding healthy ways to cope.

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