I had a very difficult time figuring out a blog topic for this month. It has been difficult to think about topics other than COVID-19. Like a lot of you, my usual routine has dramatically changed over the last couple of weeks. Additionally, I find myself having a difficult time concentrating with emotions sometimes fluctuating … Read more
To whom it may concern, We are 4 months into 2020. #24 passed away. May he rest in Peace. #19 is trending upwards. Mamba mentality is much needed in our lives in ‘’the time of the corona”. On March 11th 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. … Read more
In the 1960s a movie titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” was released. The plot revolved around three gunslingers competing to find a fortune in a buried cache of Confederate gold amid the violent chaos of the American Civil War. Despite the initial negative criticisms of the movie, it has since accumulated very … Read more
I’ve thought a lot about what to write this month. There’s no way to sugar coat that things are intense right now. Most basic research labs are shut down right — and they should be. As a basic researcher whose work can’t be relegated to the COIVD-19 battle, I’m finding myself in a weird limbo. … Read more
As my co-blogger Jeff Hsu, MD, PhD said to me this week, the COVID-19 pandemic has created the ultimate hackathon – the world’s smartest people hyperfocused on the same problem. For this month’s blog, I am outlining few ways that genomics researchers are hoping to advance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2. Pathogen Evolution and Transmission Scientists … Read more
As the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc in major American cities over the past few weeks, particularly in New York City, a common refrain from health care workers (HCWs) on the front line continues to be: “Get Us Personal Protective Equipment (#GetUsPPE).” Yet intertwined in this tragedy of a gross undersupply of PPE has been … Read more
I was just getting to work when I received a text from one of my chiefs, “can you call me?”. Not usually the start of a conversation you want to have. A person I had been exposed to had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and they suggested I put a facemask on and head home to … Read more
I know that this blog was supposed to be Part 3 of the “building an academic portfolio during medical training” series, however, it’s very difficult these days to talk about anything other than COVID-19. This pandemic that has taken the whole world by storm, and reminded us all about how fragile our whole world is! … Read more
On March 11 2020, following a 13-fold rise in COVID-19 cases outside China, the WHO declared the disease a pandemic. The novel coronavirus is now spreading in exponential proportions across the globe, crippling even some of the best healthcare systems. There are unprecedented events: there’s a sense of uncertainty, and for most of my generation, … Read more
This week, the ACHA (American Congenital Heart Association) hosted a webinar in regards to Coronavirus aka SARS-CoV-2, and the illness it causes, COVID-19, 3,000 attended (view the recording here.) CHD patients, parents of CHD patients and CHD providers had the same question, how does this virus affect this special population? Unfortunately, the data is lacking … Read more