By: Sophie Goldman, MD

I have a responsibility to my patients but also to the community that shapes—and is shaped by—their struggles and wins.

Image Credit: Sophie Goldman, MD

By: Henry Slone, MD

With my gloves on, I checked everywhere for evidence of a heartbeat, perhaps hidden under his still-warm skin. I counted the seconds until I reached thirty as I fumbled with the series of numbers.

Image Credit: Deviant Art, by deemuun,

By: Ally Waldron, MS3

I first met her in the ICU where she was recovering from a suicide attempt. Her wrists were painted in a web of silver scars that trail up to her elbows. She clung to her mom’s hand as if when she let go, she might drift away in a sea of hospital sheets, tubes, and leads.

Image credit: Matthew Matthysen, https://artincontext.org, 2023

By: Julia Parker, MS3

Any attempt to break her out of her loop of despair was met with resistance. Her eyes would often drift away when she talked, averting your gaze if it was too strong.

Image credit: ZiaBellaCreations, via Etsy Art, accessed 2024

By: Teyhana Rounsavill, MS3

Family medicine physicians may often find themselves frustrated, overwhelmed, or utterly burnt out. It is not uncommon for them to be the first-line of contact when a patient needs help, though often the last to be thanked. They are first hand witnesses to the many different struggles, mistakes, and vanishing acts patients perform.

image credit: Salvador Dali, "Persistence of Memory," 1931

By: Aniqa Azim, MD

I walk into the room and see him then, folding an intricate Origami crane with a gum wrapper. He is a thin man with sallow cheeks and well-worn skin, and a heavy furrowed brow. I watch his calloused fingers folding, creasing, and unfolding this tiny paper, all with his eyes closed.

Image Credit: Tarkka, Mechanical Engineering Design Basics, 2019