Where have all the nurses gone?
After enduring years of stressful and heartbreaking work through the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare workers are quitting in droves. What can we do about the healthcare staffing crisis? More
Viewpoint: Closing pediatric units is short-sighted and reflects a broken system
While hospital systems focus on more lucrative adult care operations, often sacrificing pediatric care in the process, the consequences of such decisions are often ignored, Brenna Miller, a health communications specialist at think tank the Lown Institute, wrote on its site Dec. 5. More
Pediatrics and profits: Why children’s hospital units are closing
Pediatric units are closing across the country, leaving parents and their sick kids without easy access to healthcare. Why is this happening, and what are the long-term consequences? More
Bernard Lown Award nominations are open!
Nominations for the annual Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility are now open! More
Balancing hope and uncertainty: The controversy behind the new ALS drug
The reasoning behind this decision has to do with a complex bioethical question - if there is the potential to treat a previously untreatable disease with a new pharmaceutical, but the consequences are unknown, do you prescribe the drug? Is the unknown enough to deny patients hope? More
Private Equity and Healthcare Part 2: Nursing and Older Adult Care
Over the past 20 years, private equity investments in the United States healthcare sector have increased twentyfold, reaching above $100 billion. How have these acquisitions changed the business practices of hospitals and other healthcare organizations? This blog is the second in a series the Lown Institute is developing on the effects and implications of private equity acquisitions sweeping the healthcare industry. More
“As the guardians of health, we can’t look away”: Mona Hanna-Attisha accepts the Bernard Lown Award
On the 101st birthday of Dr. Lown, hear from Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha on what we need from clinicians to ensure that more kids can celebrate more birthdays. More
Pediatrician who uncovered Flint water crisis wins national award for social responsibility in medicine
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Michigan-based pediatrician who exposed the Flint water crisis, has been named the winner of the inaugural Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility. More
The medicalization of death: What does it mean and what can we do about it?
Deaths in high-income countries have largely become "medicalized," moving more and more into the purview of the health care system. What are the implications of this change for families and for health systems around the world? The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death recently released a report addressing the medicalization of death and why it matters. More
Covid-19 Rise, Vaccine Hesitancy Frustrate Doctors in Hospitals Saturated by the Delta Variant
In some parts of the country where vaccination rates are lower, more people are being hospitalized for Covid-19 than ever as the Delta variant pushes up infections. More
What I’ve Learned Over a Lifetime of Caring for the Dying
As a doctor who cares for the dying, I know that direct-care aides are invaluable to patients and their families. We need to honor the work they do. More
Critical Care Doctors Are in Crisis
Who’s caring for the ICU physicians? More
The Physicians Foundation 2021 Physician Survey: COVID-19 Impact Edition: A Year Later
The Physicians Foundation’s 2021 Survey of America’s Physicians sought to understand the breadth of COVID-19’s impact on physicians, and their patients, colleagues and practices. More
Caregiving During The Pandemic Takes A Toll On Mental Health
Caregivers in the "Sandwich Generation" have reported a steep decline in mental health, as did others who had to juggle changes in the amount of caregiving they had to provide to loved ones. More
Experiences of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Among Residents in General Surgery Programs Across the US
This survey study characterizes the types, sources, and factors associated with discrimination based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation and sexual harassment experiences among residents in general surgery programs across the US. More
Female surgeons at greater risk for miscarriages, study shows
Female surgeons miscarry pregnancies more often than other women, and difficult working conditions are a factor, Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers found. More
The parenting penalties faced by scientist mothers
Starting a family at a key career stage comes at a cost to birthing parents — and many end up leaving the profession as a result. More
Physician Use of Stigmatizing Language in Patient Medical Records
This qualitative study examines both negative and positive attitudes expressed by physicians about patients in electronic medical records. More
My pregnancy made me fear for my career as a physician. It doesn’t have to be that way
As I stared at my positive pregnancy test before starting sub-specialist training, I worried how my new colleagues would react to my news. More
By Now, Burnout Is a Given
The pandemic has stripped our emotional reserves even further, laying bare our unique physical, social, and emotional vulnerabilities. More