surgery

Q&A with Dr. James Doty, Neurosurgeon, CCARE Director

by

James R. Doty M.D., is a Professor of Neurosurgery and the founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University.

He is also a philanthropist serving on the board of a number of non-profits; an investor and consultant to a number of medical device and biomedical companies; a venture partner in the medical device industry; and an entrepreneur. He is the former CEO of Accuray, manufacturer of the CyberKnife, that went public in 2007 with a valuation of $1.3 billion.

Read more

Q&A with Dr. Priya A. Rajdev, Grey’s Anatomy Communications Fellow

by

When did you first decide to become a physician? Why?

I was a little late to the game, honestly—I only made up my mind a year after I had graduated college, and, if I’m being perfectly honest, I went medicine on the gut feeling that I’d enjoy it. I always was kind of a science nerd, but had majored in government in college and spent all my extra time playing music and being a cartoonist. After college, I decided to take a couple of years to explore a career in art and entertainment. By the end of my two years off, I was a production assistant at The Onion News Network. It was incredibly fun, but I missed the world of science and academia. I’m lucky enough to have several family members who are doctors, so it felt natural that medical school could fulfill that missing piece.

Read more

Q&A with Dr. Nikki Stamp, Cardiothoracic Surgeon

by

Dr Nikki Stamp is a cardiothoracic surgeon in Sydney, Australia. As one of only nine cardiothoracic surgeons in Australia, she is also a strong advocate for women in surgery and other professional positions traditionally occupied by men, and for doctors’ well-being and prevention and management of mental health issues amongst doctors. Dr Stamp is also a mentor and teacher to young doctors and other hospital staff.
Dr Stamp obtained her medical degree and graduate diploma in surgical anatomy from the University of Western Australia and has completed training in cardiothoracic surgery with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. She has a particular interest in cardiology and women’s heart health, and promotes evidence-based healthy living.

Read more

Q&A with Dr. Ali Wong, Plastic Surgery Resident and Creator of Sketchy Medicine

by

Dr. Ali Wong is a plastic surgery resident in Nova Scotia, Canada and creator of the website Sketchy Medicine, in which she shares graphical representations of various medical concepts. Dr. Wong received her Bachelor of Science with Honours in Neuroscience (2009) and her MD (2013) at Dalhousie University. Following initial year in residency, she went on to receive an MSE (Master of Science in Engineering) from Johns Hopkins University (2016). Dr. Wong has been published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Journal of Hand Therapy, and Behavioral Brain Research.

Read more

20 Clinical Practice Guidelines That Medical Students Should Know

by

Clinical practice guidelines are the backbone of evidence-based medicine. While there are literally thousands of published guidelines, a few of them are particularly relevant to medical students. SDN Partner Guideline Central is offering free access to the top 20 clinical practice guidelines for all SDN members! 

Read more

The Other Medical School: A Detailed Look at a Podiatric Medical Training

by

Hi! My name is Courtney, and I am currently a third year Podiatric Medical student from Indiana, studying in Ohio. I hope that I can help those of you reading this learn a little more about the field of podiatry and what it is like to be a Podiatric Medical student.

Read more

Q&A with Dr. Sarvi Eastell, Surgeon, Entrepreneur, and Digital Health Advisor

by

Dr. Sarvi Eastell is a surgeon, entrepreneur, and digital health advisor. She is the founder and CEO of Holding Your Hand, a company that helps patients navigate the healthcare system by connecting them with expert impartial advocates. She is an Honorary Colorectal Surgeon at St Mark’s Hospital Foundation Trust and Chief Medical Officer at Thriva Ltd, a company that produces at-home diagnostic kits to enable personalized health monitoring. In her spare time, she is passionate about mentoring doctors who want to innovate and/or diversify their careers. She speaks on leadership and personal development and provides workshops on the anatomy of mindfulness. Her mentees have approached her via channels such as Medic Footprints, Women Like Us, Google’s London Campus, Surgify.co and LinkedIn.
Dr. Eastell obtained her medical degree from King’s College London (2001). During medical school, she also intercalated and obtained a dual bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering and Mathematics (1998).

Read more

Advice for Interns on Night Float

by

Earlier this year SDN member bob123451 was the lucky intern starting residency on night float covering multiple surgery services—vascular, general, bariatrics, colorectal, and a number of subspecialties—at a community hospital. Understandably nervous about jumping in with both feet, he reached out to the SDN community for advice. The following tips may be helpful, should you find yourself in the same boat.

Read more

Love and Happiness… And Medicine? Our Experience in the Couples Match

by
couples match

We were in the same class in medical school. It was your typical story. Boy meets girl, girl doesn’t like boy’s buzz cut, they waste a year, eventually end up as anatomy TAs working on the same dissection together, and fall in love. Standard. I knew that I was going to be a surgeon, he was thinking about ER. We moved in together. We talked about getting married. Then he went out for third year rotations and I started the Anatomy Fellowship at our school. He did Surgery mid-way through the year. To my concern, though not to my surprise, he loved it. He loved it the way I loved it. We talked seriously about what this would mean for us, both for our relationship and for our careers. We had always assumed that when the Match rolled around that we would participate in the Couples Match. Couples matching into Surgery seemed like a long shot, but we both knew we couldn’t be satisfied in another field, that we were surgeons at heart. So we decided we had to try.

Read more

On The Shoulders of Giants: Tips for Aspiring Female Surgeons

by

While there were many engaging sessions held at the 2015 UC Davis Pre-Health Conference, a few stood out for being exceptionally inspiring. Dr. Lisa Lattanza’s lecture, “How to Be a Successful Female Surgeon”, was one of these standouts.
This isn’t surprising, considering Dr. Lattanza’s pedigree. The chief of Hand, Elbow & Upper Extremity Surgery at UCSF Medical Center, she is known both for her surgical skills and her inexhaustible efforts to encourage and mentor the next generation of female surgeons. She is the president and co-founder of The Perry Initiative, a Bay-area-based foundation which provides educational and experiential opportunities for young women (primarily high-school and early-college-aged) interested in orthopedic surgery – a project which recently earned her the prestigious Jefferson Award for public service.

Read more