(Hi everyone! I wrote this piece a few weeks ago when life was just a little much. I almost didn't share it, but I felt that it was important to be vulnerable in hopes that it would help someone else. So hopefully this is helpful. Like, Comment, and Share!) One of my favorite books is … Continue reading Can We Talk: A Selfish Post.
Health
The Magical Negro: Validating Black Patients’ Pain.
Recently, there have been multiple news articles addressing how Black people are not receiving adequate validation of their pain in healthcare settings. Jahi McMath's case was a prime example of this. Jahi was a 13 year old girl who was declared brain as a result of complications from a tonsillectomy. Though she is more well … Continue reading The Magical Negro: Validating Black Patients’ Pain.
The Healthcare Provider Code Switch.
You know, I don't remember life without needing to code switch. It was a crucial skill for me - matching how I acted to who I was around and where I was. I have two phone voices. I enunciate my words at school, but I let myself slur and speak ebonics at home. I temper my … Continue reading The Healthcare Provider Code Switch.
Cities, 9/11, and Baby Teeth.
I love cities. I grew up in the D.C. Metropolitan Area suburbs, but I spent most of my literal-24-hour-day in Washington, D.C. After I graduated from college, I officially moved to one of my favorite cities for the first time - Philadelphia. I'm still in love with Philly, even though I've since moved to Boston. … Continue reading Cities, 9/11, and Baby Teeth.
Money, Family, End of Life Treatment, and Being a Burden
BioEdge.org, a bioethics news source, released an article about physician assisted suicide (PAS) about a week ago. Oregon is one of the few states that have legalized PAS. However, according to the 2016 Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act, about 50% of patients who ended their lives via PAS, said that they did because … Continue reading Money, Family, End of Life Treatment, and Being a Burden
Can We Talk: Insurance Terminology
Once upon a time there was a country where the people were very concerned about their healthcare. They were understandably concerned - you see, to get a kidney, it might as well have cost a kidney. The people had a leader who proposed an healthcare change that was nicknamed Obamacare. However, some people rejected Obamacare … Continue reading Can We Talk: Insurance Terminology
Stress and Public Health: Reflections a Week after Charlottesville.
Some folks's morning routine encompasses some variant of wash, rinse, and repeat. My morning routine is a bit different: Get up. Do devotion and pray my younger brothers don't get racially profiled by the police between the time I saw them last and the time I see them again. Look in the mirror and remind … Continue reading Stress and Public Health: Reflections a Week after Charlottesville.
Why Charlie Gard’s Story Happened the Way it Did: A Legal Analysis
A few days before I published last week's post, I saw the news of Charlie Gard's death on CNN. It was really a solemn moment for me - bioethics can help you rationalize death, but you never quite get used to it. Infants and children, especially, leave my heart feeling a bit like a festering … Continue reading Why Charlie Gard’s Story Happened the Way it Did: A Legal Analysis
Nia’s Nighttime Reading List
Fun Fact: I ruined my eyes by reading in the dark when I was six. I have worn glasses ever since. I've always been an avid reader. Looking back at my younger self, I have to chuckle because no book is worth needing vision insurance for life. But here we are and Warby Parker exists … Continue reading Nia’s Nighttime Reading List
In the Interim, Choose Life.
Choose life and speak life - these are phrases I grew up hearing while growing up in the black church. Usually, they are used as euphemisms. However, there is a literal meaning we could glean from the specific phrase "choose life" in the context of our nation's healthcare crisis. The new healthcare bill is back … Continue reading In the Interim, Choose Life.
The neighborhood bioethicist 