Stanford Medicine 25

06/12/2026

"If, in the future, there's a digital stethoscope with an embedded AI algorithm that's better at diagnosing heart failure than I am, that would be amazing," says Brian Garibaldi of the Northwestern Center for Bedside Medicine. "But there will still be a role for empathy and curiosity, and for the power of touch, as part of the healing process."

A new piece in Northwestern University Magazine examines the enduring value of human connection in medicine, and how Garibaldi and our colleagues at the Center for Bedside Medicine continue to champion the physical exam.

Read it here:

New York Times writer Alexandra Sifferlin argues that technologies like artificial intelligence are not enough to improve patient care, but that approaches like those espoused by Brian Garibaldi at the Feinberg School of Medicine’s Center for Bedside Medicine – emphasizing bedside skills, observ...

06/09/2026

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints in outpatient medicine, but not all causes are the same. The physical exam helps clinicians distinguish musculoskeletal strain from nerve compression, and flag serious concerns like infection, malignancy, or inflammatory arthritis before they're missed.

Stanford Medicine 25's full back exam guide walks through the key techniques and findings: https://stan.md/4u8MgEk

06/04/2026

The cerebellum plays a key role in balance, muscle tone, and coordinating voluntary movement, and cerebellar disease produces some very specific clinical findings as a result.

Stanford Medicine 25 walks through those findings (scanning speech, nystagmus, dysmetria, and more) along with the diagnostic tests used to evaluate them.

Read the notes: https://stan.md/4u79FFU

Watch the demo: https://bit.ly/4dVbu2C

06/02/2026

We're already counting down the days until the Second Annual Conference in Bedside Medicine, hosted by the Northwestern Center for Bedside Medicine!

The conference, Nov. 13-14, is geared toward physicians, advanced practice providers, clinical educators, fellows, residents and students who are interested in improving their bedside clinical and teaching skills.

Topics include physical exam and communication workshops with real patients, plenaries, breakouts, poster sessions and more.

Details and registration:

05/29/2026

Quick refresher on the nevi exam: When evaluating a mole, look closely at its symmetry, border, color, diameter and evolution over time. And keep an eye out for the "ugly duckling," or any lesion that looks distinctly different from a patient's other moles. https://stan.md/3RFpFkY

05/27/2026

Nothing replaces what you learn at the patient bedside. That belief is the heart of Stanford Medicine 25, where our team works to teach and refine bedside exam skills for trainees and medical learners. Especially as medicine evolves and new tools transform diagnosis, the hands-on approach remains essential.

05/25/2026

A stroke in the internal capsule (a white matter structure where many motor and sensory fibers travel to and from the cortex) causes distinctive clinical findings — specific enough that a physician can localize lesions to the internal capsule by the physical exam alone.

Our guide walks through the process for identifying damage to this region: https://stan.md/42Wc5w0

05/22/2026

Meet Stanford Medicine 25's Jeffrey Chi, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and hospitalist at Stanford Medicine and Stanford Health Care. His focus is on medical student education to students at all levels of their medical school experience.

05/20/2026

Each May, reminds us of the importance of thorough, systematic physical exams of moles and other skin lesions.

Our nevi (mole) exam guide takes clinicians and medical learners through a head-to-toe approach and the findings worth paying attention to, from the ABCDEs of melanoma to the easy-to-miss spots that deserve a second look. It includes video instruction and clinical images throughout. https://stan.md/3RFpFkY

05/11/2026

National Women's Health Week, which brings attention to the unique health needs of women and girls, highlights the importance of early detection and prevention.

For physicians and medical learners, strong physical exam skills are the foundation of identifying these conditions early, when intervention is most effective.

Stanford Medicine 25's related resources include:

Breast Exam Guide: Reviews the approach to inspection, palpation and the lymph node exam, and emphasizes the importance of technique when discriminating between benign and malignant lesions. https://stanford.io/4eL0KTi

Pelvic Exam Guide: Discusses different types of speculums, how to prepare the patient for the exam, palpation of the abdomen, vulvar and speculum examination and more. https://stanford.io/2XG7vyo

Women's health exam demonstration video playlist on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4utzjp8