Ask me how I am and I say "I'm blessed by Jah"

Today we have an exam on Immunology, Neoplasia, and Cancer.
Last night to prepare for the battle ahead I baked cookies while listening to Reggae.

Isn't that what everyone does before an exam? Well they should.

I woke up this morning and found a links to research that where presented at the American College of Physicians annual meeting in Toronto last week.  They were talking about a paper titled EHR-Based Quality Measurement and Reporting—Critical for Meaningful Use and Health Care Improvement.  I am for this.  It's funny, early this week I had a long conversation with a physician about the problems of current EHR systems and they are often more of a burden than a blessing.

I was surprised to hear how slowly the technology is advancing.  I actually don't believe the technology is not advancing.  I suspect that hospitals and people who pay for introducing technology in the health care sector are the ones who are moving slowly and for many good reasons.

• Why experiment on patients if there is little data showing even a marginal benefit
• Resources are limited
• Do physicians, on the whole, want this?
• Do physicians really know what they want?

I imagine a platform that:

• is late baby-boomer friendly (most doctors and patients fit in this category)
• has enough flexiblity and advanced features to be useful/exciting to Gen X and Gen Y physicians and researcher
• is based on a standard that is portable & easily interoperable with existing EMR & EHR systems
• has an advanced, intuitive and attractive GUI (graphical user interface) like Windows 7 or OS X
• is strongly supported and endorsed by public and private insurers

We have to over come the fact that physicians are often cautious when it comes to disrupting the way they practice.  They like research to back any changes they make.  The market for EHR software is smaller than the market operating systems or graphic design software.  We won't see the best and brightest clawing over one another to fix this problem.  Good and even great ideas may not make their way into hospitals for the reasons stated above.  Another reason may be that hospitals don't like to work with one another.  Since there won't be equal penetration of the sector and people don't talk with one another we can not solely rely on market forces to pick a winner. We also need to offer incentive for widespread adoption of proven technologies as well as  widespread education of the future user.

So where do I want to get into this and try to make a difference?
There are many places to enter:

• design a better platform
• push for widespread adoption of a standard way to store the EHR data
• design education programs to get docs on board
• do research to see if there is potential for harm by NOT having EHR

I woke up this morning glad to see the shining sun.  There are problems that need solutions.  I say to myself "Study hard, get the degree and don't worry".

Home is whenever I'm with you

Welcome to my study break!

This week has been quite eventful. Many thanks to FK for inviting me to the New England Conservatory performance.  It was really cool hearing world music played on contemporary western instruments.  How do I mean?  Imagine a Thai bell piece played with sax, trumpet, and a dismantled drum set.  Think playing a Ghanaian lute piece with a violin.  The musicians where young (teens to twenties) and very talented.  Great work!

They opened the performance with a sound bite from Duke Ellington's performance of Afro-Eurasian Eclipse.  The use of the term "Oriental" for describing people is antiquated.  None the less it is an interesting sound bite. If you listen to the entire song you kind of get a taste of what the kids at NEC did that night.  It was that but with a very contemporary edge.




I've been in study mode because I have an exam on Friday.  I'd really like to do well.  Partly because I know I can but mostly because I'd like some wiggle room or buffer if you will when I start doing all my May traveling.  On the itinerary: NYC, Philly, Toronto, and DC.  Yup every weekend I will be off to some other city.   Updates to follow.

Lastly, I am looking forward to one thing popping up in my in-box. Grant me patience.



This song came out late 2009. It really got me thinking about home and how to make it where I am. Thought question: Who makes home for you?

Busting through the brick wall?

This morning I was in the mood for productivity.  It is a rare feeling believe me.  School work was done but the gears in my head where spinning like mad on other things.

I was feeling vegetarian-ish today so decided to design the Sunday menu this week accordingly.  I headed to Hi-Lo Market for some cheap groceries, then to Harvest for the specialty things.

Quinoa, corn and black bean

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Honey glaze + Edamame Salad

After grocery shopping I stopped in at Fiore's Italian Bakery where I bumped in to a doctor who led one of my tutorials in the Fall.  I ordered a light roast coffee and a vegan coffee cake.  As I sipped the hot drink I was overcome with nostalgia.  Images of Ethiopia and awkwardly translated pleasantries preceded a warm feeling of fond memories of warm mornings on an Oakland balcony.  Sadness came after that.  That is all done now.  Regrettably, I've placed hundred and thousands of miles between me and who and what I love.  I felt the urge to write.  I wrote a letter that would never get sent, I wanted catharsis.  It is only temporarily granted. 

For three years this song played in crystal clear, high fidelity:



I inverted the coffee cup, swallowing the last of the memories.  Thanking the woman behind the counter, I walked out the door into the humid Sunday afternoon air.  More after the jump

Sunny Saturday and Boston

Saturday morning I woke to a clear blue sky, warm sun and the sounds of of NOLA (New Orleans, LA) jazz going down the street outside our flat.  It sounded like a funeral procession.  As the music started to fade I heard what sounded like marchers in protest.  I was very confused.  I race out to my front balcony and see this:

After the jump, the rest of the day

FABRIC Video is up!

Catching up, slowly...

So my last post was today but on things from Monday.  This week is a catch up week. All I have to do is continue to juggle my ongoing obligations and deflect new ones and I will be great!

This is me juggling all my obligations.  There was a time when I would make fun of K for being infatuated with cats...I don't know how much worse it can get than this.  This is all the cuteness in this post.  I promise. Keep reading 

Patriots Day (aka Marathon Monday), Four-twenty, and Earth week

Yesterday was Patriots day and Marathon Monday here in Boston.  Both are a big deal in this city! A group of HMS student got together at 0430 Monday morning to drive to Lexington to watch a reinactment of the Battle of Lexington that took place April 19, 1775.  Man, the people of Lexington get into it!  It was great.  After a brief speech about what was about to transpire, the soldiers got into character and position.  In the distance we saw Paul Revere ride onto the Lexington Common to announce the British were coming.

Do read on!

Revisit Weekend: FABRIC and the aftermath!

 I am so glad FABRIC was a success.  I don't know if I told many non-Boston residents about it or my participation in the event.  FABRIC is a production celebrating the global influence of the African diaspora.  First year medical students have been putting on this production during admit revisit week for the last 10 years.  It is a showcase of the many talents our class posseses and a great lure for new admits.

Jump for more!

Care, Fabric, and Soul

Peace and blessings.  Thursday was kind of a dreaded day.  I had too much to do and too little time to do it all.  Some things fell by the wayside but I did everything I really wanted to do.

Above is a teaser + highlight, more after the jump...

My whirlwind week

Okay.  I was really enjoying the whole "wake up and blog" thing I was doing for few days.  That was until last Friday when I had to plan for like 5 meeting and two concurrent events.  The last seven days have been pretty great.  Busy but great.  More after the jump!

Top priority: be a great physician. Second priority: make time for the people and things that will help me become a great physician.

Cody ChesnuTT- "When I Find Time"

Things I 1. Wish I were doing 2. wish I hadn't done

1. Things I wish I were doing...
being active outdoors
This I hope to change soon! I am studying for an exam in immunology and pathology. I really want to do well on this bad boy so I am fighting my urge to play outdoors. I have the next few weekends stacked though! Sailing with Dennis and Dr David. Cycling with Amy. Maybe hiking aroud the region...I just have to work hard when it's time to work. That way I can feel good about my playtime, haha.


laughing more
I used to laugh a lot more. What happened to that? Real warm, full sprited laughter is contagious. My mom has that. So do a few of the people I admire most. I find that my laugh carries in the atrium where all the students congregate. I only found that because I think I really laughed for the first time a few days ago. It was weird. I think I will be doing that more often.

taking more photos
Life is beautiful in it's unpredictability. I like to just be and observe things without the need to try to capture it in on a disk. On the other hand, I don't think there is anything wrong with having an image to remember beauty or suprise. I think it can be a memory aid as well as a sign respect for the importance of a moment.

For the otherside of the coin read on...

Things you can learn by teaching

I teach sex ed. to youth at an alternative high school for about an hour on Wednesdays. It is one of the highlights of my week. The kids are loud and sometimes crude. They don't always want to be engaged but they all seem to understand and respect that my co-teacher and I are there because we want to be. So even when they act out the don't direct it at us.

Yesterday we taught a lesson on relationships. We had them define sex, love and relationships. We asked them to tell us what makes a good friend, romantic partner, life partner etc. Now what suprised me was how the same students who had them most off the wall ideas about what safe sex is and could care less about contraception where able to so eloquently express their thoughts about what makes a good friend, romantic partner, and life partner. I'm telling on myself a little but some of these students could articulate some of these ideas at 17 that I am just realizing at 26. Now I don't think I am some outlier.

Busy? Yeah.

Recently moved out of the dorms. Thank God! My physical, mental and spirital health where slowly degrading in that situation. I think it had a lot to do with me not being able to separate school/work and home.

Now I'm living in a part of town called Jamaica Plain. It is kind of a blend of Berkeley, N. Oakland and Brooklyn. I think I'll stay here for a while. I forgot how much I enjoy waking up and walking out on the porch to drink my coffee.

Other amenities that I find vital are:
- close access to transit (we have a major bus route just out side the door and quick acesss to two subways)
- good groceries stores (Freddies Bodega!, Harvest market, and like three others within walking distance)
- small businesses (crucial)
- diversity!!! (JP has a large LGBT population, small families, next door to a large dominican community)

I can deal with the chaos of med school and the inner turmult of figuring out what I want and where I am going AS LONG AS I have a healthy home to come to at the day's end.

I am greatful.