Today’s ongoing COVID-19 crisis shines a bright light on little-recognized field of science: epidemiology. These are professionally trained disease investigators known as epidemiologists. Normally, epidemiologists are silently working in government health agencies and research institutions, tracking the status of health, the development of health issues, and design of interventions to protect and improve health. […]
“He’s not a Chinese. What could he possibly know about medicine – let alone about history or politics?” Like most language learners, my listening ability was greater than my speaking ability. As a newcomer to living in Shanghai, China, my hospital colleagues simply assumed that I did not understand them. But their seemingly private
The most predictable quality of this new phase in the COVID-19 pandemic is that it is altogether unpredictable. Cases may spike in next month, they may dissipate all together, or they may ascend again in the fall. The exact science of today’s new threat is being developed as we speak. What is clear is
For the entire world, what are leading risk factors for death? And, do YOU possess any of these risk factors? Such questions are both intriguing and relevant. After all, hypertension becomes much more compelling when it is YOUR diagnosis. First, two caveats about this chart: Risk factors maybe behaviors, microorganisms, genetic predispositions, socioeconomic
When does a COVID-19 infected person become a danger to others? This question has profound implications, both for prevention of the disease and for the lifestyles of everyone involved. And, the logic of the answers is relevant to a large number of other infectious diseases, like influenza, measles, chickenpox, and the common cold.
The convergence of great loves: new husband and wife, medicine and saving lives, culture and travel. Kyle Crooker has experienced all three, and at the same time! A final year medical student at Kansas University Medical Center, Kyle traveled to Lima, Peru, to complete the final service-learning clinical requirement to qualify for the INMED
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, many critical scientific questions remain. In spite of diligent and intelligent attention, we still do not know for sure: Whether antibodies following infection are protective against recurrent infection Why elderly people are so much more vulnerable than are children What symptoms and signs are the best predictors of actual
“The course I took with INMED, Disaster Management in Limited Resource Settings, truly helped me with my confidence in disaster care,” writes Cheryl Dalton, DNP. “Right now, I’m deployed with a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), serving at a large urban rehabilitation center.” “Covid-19 has hit the facility pretty hard. Most residents are older
“Today I am working in a Beijing hospital where the people are screened and treated if they are diagnosed with COVID-19. I’ve been serving in this capacity since the outbreak began in January.” Chunyan Jiang, MD PhD, works in the Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Beijing Friendship Hospital – associated with Capital
News surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic to date has focused on wealthy countries of China, Italy, Great Britain, in the United States. But what about the rest of the world – southern Asia, Africa, the Middle East? Certainly news organizations have a natural inclination to report about their own countries. Beyond this, the main reasons