Tag: humanity

Catherine Potin Catherine Potin (1 Posts)

Medical Student Contributing Writer

Keck School of Medicine

 Catherine Potin is a 4th Year Medical student at Keck School of Medicine in the MD-MPH program. She was originally from the Gambia West Africa, went to Mercer University in Georgia for undergrad Catherine Potin is a 4th Year Medical student at Keck School of Medicine in the MD-MPH program. She was originally from the Gambia West Africa, went to Mercer University in where she grew her love of writing and Narrative Medicine.




Mirrored Resilience: Reflection from a Hospital Bed

Published by Catherine Potin

The poem describes the profound impact of an encounter between Catherin Potin, the narrator, recovering from a motor vehicle accident, and a young patient with a similar experience. Throughout our interaction, the patient’s strength and resilience illuminate a path towards healing, showing the narrator the power of shared vulnerability in overcoming trauma. This encounter serves as a reminder of the reciprocal nature of healing in medicine and the personal growth that can arise from patient interactions.

Old Pennies and Jelly Skin

Published by Sriya Donthi

This piece is inspired by a patient encounter with a middle-aged woman who was recently diagnosed with a severe and malignant cancer. I saw her in the primary care setting, and she was undergoing chemotherapy at that time. She had a unique demeanor about her and she shared with me how she waited all her life to do the things she really wanted to do and now she was unable to do a lot of those things. She told me her and her friend now share a joke whenever they are debating doing something fun/risky/random in which they say, “What are you waiting for, chemo?”

Triple Crown

Published by Medha Palnati

Medha Palnati describes an encounter she had with a patient who she met at the Backstretch Clinic, a clinic that serves the undocumented workers that care for the horses at the racetrack, as he was having a myocardial infarction. This encounter highlights the conversation Medha had with this patient while waiting for the ambulance to transport him to the hospital, and the solace that they found in each other in that moment.

The Ward as Medicine

Published by Nicole Wong

The Ward as Medicine is about how one’s fellow patients on the psychiatry ward can act as mirrors, teachers and inspirations to a patient. Specifically, it is about a mom who, hospitalized for suicidality stemming from her guilt and anger over how she has mothered her children, gets reconnected with the identity of motherhood while interacting with others on the unit.

Nicole Wong Nicole Wong (1 Posts)

Medical Student Contributing Writer

David Geffen SOM at UCLA

 Nicole is a fourth-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering. She is applying to psychiatry with the intention of pursuing a child and adolescent fellowship. In her free time, she enjoys playing tricks on her cat.