09/10/2026
I think this generation of future physicians might be asking better questions than we did.
They ask who this patient is and what their challenges are. Whether they can get to the pharmacy. Whether they have a place to store insulin. Whether the plan we just built on paper survives contact with the patient’s actual life. For example, when learning about toxic shock syndrome, one of my students used his ten minute presentation to teach the group about period poverty (the inability to afford and access menstrual products, safe sanitation facilities, and proper menstrual health education).
Social determinants of health used to be a lecture we sat through. For these students, it’s the first thing they think about because they understand that a treatment plan a patient can’t follow isn’t a treatment plan.
Being around these medical students might be my favorite part of my week because I learn so much from them. They’re also amazing humans and I strongly believe they will make healthcare better.
Would you want to see more about medical education? Why we teach, how we teach it, and what’s changing? Tell me in the comments and I’ll make it a series. I might even feature some of them! 👏
