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There is a resident doctor on TikTok named Julia who is also a raver. She posts about her training, and her weekends, dancing, festivals, après ski, living a full and visibly joyful life outside the hospital. The comments on her videos are glowing. “I would love to have a doctor like you.” “You seem like a real person.” A lot of patients are not looking for a self-sacrificing doctor who has no life. They are looking for someone present, grounded, and whole. Someone relatable.

I was born in a hospital that was killed. Cause of death: private equity. In 1983, I arrived at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pennsylvania. My mom, 25-year-old Janet, labored with me from Thursday to Sunday before going for a C-section. My two sisters were born at Crozer, too. The hospital's roots went back to 1893. By the time I was born there, it had become the backbone of healthcare in Delaware County. A Level II trauma center, the county's only burn unit, a

I didn't plan to resign from my academic position. I'd asked my department for approval to take a sabbatical – unpaid time to step back, reassess, and return part-time but the answer was no. So I resigned and took the time I needed. But something shifted once I'd actually decided to leave. Suddenly, the part-time position I'd requested – the one that originally couldn't be accommodated – materialized. My institutional allies who wanted to keep me suddenly found a way to maneu

I direct a Faculty Well-being Champions Program overseeing 47 physician champions across 33 departments. I also practice palliative care part-time and coach physicians navigating burnout. I liaise with well-being leaders nationwide—some at programs just checking a wellness box, others genuinely trying to get it right. This year taught me that well-being work reveals patterns. The same destructive habits show up across institutions, specialties, and conversations. As 2025 clos

Health-care professionals are increasingly demoralized by the pressure to prioritize their employers' financial goals over patients' needs and professional norms. The space for good work in a bad system is narrowing. This statement from an October 2025 Lancet article spoke directly to my experience. By all quantifiable metrics, I was successful. I had just been promoted to Associate Professor in the #1-ranked department in the country for my specialty. I held a rewarding lead

AI is rolling out in medicine faster than most of us can process. Ambient scribes documenting visits. Clinical decision support algorithms. Automated prior authorizations. The promises are compelling—reduced clerical burden, more face-time with patients, less burnout. I wanted this. As a palliative care doctor and director of physician well-being at my institution, I've spent years watching colleagues drown in documentation, log into the EHR at ungodly hours, and burn out fro

When I asked my department for a sabbatical last year, the answer was swift: no. I was an associate professor, technically eligible according to our faculty handbook. I'd put in my six years. I had a clear(ish) plan for how I'd use the time. And while I was getting my job done well and hitting my metrics, I was also irritable and disillusioned from the demands of patient care. I was in need of a break, in a way that others around me were starting to notice. But the unwritten

The endless scroll. We've all been there. But yesterday, something on Instagram stopped me cold. It started with a caption: "Today, an...