Sharing successes, challenges and daily happenings in the Department of Medicine
This year’s Black History Month theme is “Black Health and Wellness.” This seems particularly relevant as we cross the two-year mark in a global pandemic that has disproportionally impacted Black Americans. We have officially celebrated Black History Month since 1976, when President Gerald Ford recognized it to honor the often-neglected accomplishments of Black Americans throughout […]
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, we had just one vaccine approved for emergency use for adults with COVID-19 cases reaching all-time highs. The CDC advised us against all travel, and more than half of Americans changed their Thanksgiving plans due to the global pandemic. During a time when it was […]
One of the more positive aspects to come out of this global pandemic is the gratitude many of us now feel for the everyday lives we once took for granted. With it came new appreciation for the routines that became second nature, the idle chitchat with colleagues, the face-to-face meetings that got us out of […]
As Pride Month comes to an end, there is good news to report. At times, it feels like the fight for equality for the LGBTQ+ community is two steps forward, one step back. That may feel especially true after a second year of cancelled Pride parades and events due to the global pandemic. The good […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck, I doubt many of your first instincts were to think about money. But as it began to take a financial toll on our institution and benefits like retirement contributions and merit increases were suspended, it became hard not to think about. Luckily over a year later, we are in […]
April is National Minority Health Month. The observance dates back to 1915, inspired by Booker T. Washington, and gained support from Congress in 2002, but the need for it has only been amplified by a year-long pandemic that has disproportionally affected minority populations. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought social and racial injustice and inequity to […]
Two weeks ago marked the anniversary of our first COVID-19 patient at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. About a year ago, we began to ‘COVIDify’ our inpatient units, we sent our workforce home to work, and embarked on an unprecedented reorganization of our clinical, research and educational missions. Our clinicians, researchers, administration and staff quickly rose […]
February is National Black History Month. Coming off a year marked by a greater awareness of structural racism in essentially all societal domains—even our schools and hospitals—Black History Month is more important than ever. Black History Month began in 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson proposed celebrating as a means to recognize the tremendous contributions […]
If anything, the pandemic has shone a light on the inequities that exist in our healthcare system. Research increasingly shows that racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In a city like Baltimore, where more than half our population consists of minorities, we have a real opportunity to affect positive change. In fact, […]
The year 2020 is coming to an end. We have battled historic wildfires, racial injustice, murder hornets, and a global pandemic that shook the world. At a time when it would be easy to brush off a tough year as we face the dawn of a new one, I find myself more grateful than ever. […]