This piece was originally published on 3M’s Inside Angle blog on May 28, 2021. “Almost any time we allow the life support systems of our planet or society to be commodified, it drives other breakdowns.” – Tristan Harris There is a tremendous amount of value that springs from the patient-physician relationship that undergirds proper primary … More Commodifying Medicine
This piece was originally published on the 3M Inside Angle blog. The central mission of many health start-ups is explicit: to “disrupt” the status quo in the U.S. health care system. But when disruptions hijack the attention of health workers, it is costly and detrimental to patient care. The time and attention of highly trained … More Disrupt the status quo, not health workers
This piece was originally published on the 3M Inside Angle blog. The value of community health workers (CHWs) is finally being recognized here in the U.S. This cadre works to approximate and glue together the pieces of our fragmented health care system, with the potential for an extraordinary impact, or rather return-on-investment. The CHW has a diverse … More Invest in community health (workers)
In January 2017 my partner and I sat at the bar in an upscale restaurant in Blantyre, Malawi. The muted TV on the side wall displayed images of Inauguration Day from Washington, D.C., and a couple boisterous men two seats down from us celebrated, dramatically and repeatedly clinking together their gin-and-tonics. The thought amongst many … More Cheers to Inauguration Day: From Blantyre to Washington, D.C.
The vibration of the clippers against my head during last night’s pandemic haircut performed with the dancehall playlist pumping into my room transported me, if only in memory, to past international barbershop experiences. The barbershop, for many, presents an opportunity to connect, no matter if you are in Kampala or Oakland. If visitors can overcome … More The International Haircut
This essay was originally published in Chapter 8 of Barefoot Global Health Diplomacy. The year 2000 brought a wave of health programs answering the call of the Millennium Development Goals. The early campaigns took aim at a single disease, such as HIV/AIDS. The international goals for addressing all factors that affect health, including the social … More The “Global Health” Martyr
This piece was published on Think Global Health on May 5, 2020. In brief, the COVID-19 pandemic has shattered social precedents and many social media posts have called for social distancing while also ask that we all “not make this political.” Well, public health is political. An understaffed CDC and hamstrung global health security efforts leave the country exposed to a menace that … More Public Health is Always Political
The COVID-19 storm made a powerful landfall in the United States and whipped up the social media winds slinging articles, guidelines, hot takes, and press releases at our squinting faces like a million specks of sand. The White House began to host daily press conferences. County public health departments put out recommendations that, at times, … More Information and its Communication: The Foundation of Public Health Response
Originally published on Stat. Co-authored with my wife/partner, Ashley Ramirez, MS, RN, CPNP-AC. Health care delivery in the United States is being led by practitioners who have ascended to leadership roles primarily through years of loyalty to their organization. But, while burnout worsens and affects the youngest clinicians to the detriment of our system, is … More Ignoring millennials will worsen the coming crisis in health care leadership
Originally published May 1, 2019 on Inside Angle, the blog of 3M’s Health Information Systems division. — A culture of patient safety built over the past twenty years is encountering roadblocks. Policies and recent events that defy both research and initiatives geared towards strengthening healthcare safety, whether intentional or not, must be highlighted to ensure … More Recent challenges to a culture of patient safety