Children’s mental health is in a crisis, we are often told, particularly among poor, homeless, BIPOC, and immigrant kids. Systemic racism, discrimination, inequitable educational systems (private vs public), and COVID stress/ trauma are the main causes. One issue is infectious diseases/ public health leaders have been siloed, focusing on COVID transmission, along with tests, treatments,Continue reading “Children’s Mental Health Crisis”
Author Archives: Philip A. Lederer MD
SanDance film Sunday at 2 PM EST
In partnership with Global Arts Live, “SanDance!,” an independent documentary film about the age-old dance culture of Africa’s San (Bushman) First Peoples, will stream live on Facebook and YouTube on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m EST. After the live broadcast, which will include a Q&A with filmmaker Richard Wicksteed, the film and conversation will beContinue reading “SanDance film Sunday at 2 PM EST”
On Influenza
Yesterday I attended the Emory University infectious diseases conference (it is open to the general public), and enjoyed learning the latest about influenza from Dr. Anice Lowen, associate professor of medicine. And frankly, it was sobering. The current burden of seasonal influenza is substantial – the number of deaths from flu is comparable to theContinue reading “On Influenza”
First, do no harm
It was a late afternoon in the spring of 2011, and my pager went off once again. The ED was calling – another ICU admission, a critically ill middle-aged man who needed to be brought up to the unit after a cardiac arrest. Oh, how I wished I could be surfing at La Jolla Shores,Continue reading “First, do no harm”
Transparency and the Doctor–Patient Relationship
Recently, I read an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “Transparency and the Doctor–Patient Relationship — Rethinking Conflict-of-Interest Disclosures,” by Eli Adashi from Brown University, I. Glenn Cohen from Harvard University, and Jacob Elberg from Seton Hall University. The article started with the story of a March 2020 U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against aContinue reading “Transparency and the Doctor–Patient Relationship”
Happy Chinese New Year!
Happy Chinese New Year! Along with that salutation, I wanted to write about a recent paper from New York City, The impact of COVID-19 on people who inject drugs in New York City. This was written by a friend of mine, Dr. Benjamin Eckhardt, along with his colleagues. The results are as expected for thoseContinue reading “Happy Chinese New Year!”
Reading the names of the dead
One important part of coming to grips with what’s happened to us over the past two years is bearing witness to the dead. Two weeks ago, Martha Katz, Susan Racine and I stood outside the Massachusetts State House for an hour. It was Martin Luther King Day, and we read the names of the COIVDContinue reading “Reading the names of the dead”
Democrats Decried Dark Money. Then they won with it in 2020.
During a lull in yesterday’s blizzard, I went for a walk with a friend of mine, a professor at one of Boston’s universities. We talked about a variety of topics, from snow removal to dogs, from music to Aristotle, and as our conversation wound down, we discussed the media. I told him that while IContinue reading “Democrats Decried Dark Money. Then they won with it in 2020.”
Blizzard hits Boston
Here in Boston, people are hunkering down for the weekend because a historic storm is arriving. High winds, cold temperatures, and lots of snow are in the forecast. This extreme weather has me thinking about global warming and the oil boilers which are going to be keeping people warm this weekend. Meanwhile, we know thatContinue reading “Blizzard hits Boston”
Cissy Strut
A few days ago, my violin teacher Rob Flax introduced me to the song Cissy Strut, which was recorded by The Meters in 1969. Of note, Art Neville, brother of Aaron, wrote the song and also played it. Rob told me, “In my opinion, if you are making music you are singing or drumming, orContinue reading “Cissy Strut”
Philip A. Lederer 