Blog Author: Robert Press

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  Mur, Mur, Mur

  December 04, 2017

  I’ve apparently got a “great” heart murmur. I think it’s some mix of loudness and clarity that makes it a particularly good murmur. It’s actually kind of charming, how much doctors and residents tend to nerd out about it. They’ll tell me, “Ah, that’s a really wonderful murmur!” and I’ll react with a “Thank you,” as if they’d complimented my fastball.

  Cardiology Education
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  When Eadward Muybridge Came to Penn

  November 01, 2017

  Deep within the annals of Penn Medicine’s two-and-a-half centuries is a fun little story that ties together horse racing, an eccentric man with a Rip Van Winkle beard, The Matrix, and the University of Pennsylvania. It starts, as many good stories do, with a (possibly apocryphal) bet.

  General Interest Education
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  What Becomes of the Broken Hearted

  September 29, 2017

  The term “heart surgery” carries with it a certain amount of baggage: mostly some combination of grisly imagery and long, difficult recoveries. Thankfully, recent developments to both the technology and technique have resulted in a field rapidly evolving to improve the safety and comfort of one particular procedure that had, until recently, been hugely invasive.

  Cardiology Heart
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  Medicating for Migraines

  September 13, 2017

  In part one of this post, we talked about the nature of migraines — where they come from, and what models physicians are using to approach them. In this part, we look at the complexities inherent to medicating something that’s such a moving target.

  Neurology
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  Modeling Migraines

  July 24, 2017

  There are still questions waiting to be answered about exactly how and why migraines are generated: What are these things? Why are they so difficult to treat? Why are they different for everybody? Research is ongoing, though, and several different models are helping physicians shed new light on what makes migraines tick — which could, in turn, lead to new and more effective treatment options down the line.

  Brain and Behavior Neurology
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  When I Die, Let Me Live

  June 21, 2017

  The first two-part episode of Perelman School of Medicine graduate Lauren Kelly, MD’s podcast, “When I Die, Let Me Live,” is not always an easy listen — but that’s kind of the point. Kelly aims to present the listener with firsthand stories from patients, families, and caretakers dealing with the myriad physical, mental, emotional, and moral complexities of end-of-life care.

  Aging Patient Care Patient Stories General Interest
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  The Three Careers of Kelly Parsons

  May 24, 2017

  Surgeon, professor, novelist: It’s a lofty trio of career choices, each particularly demanding in its own way. Certain pairings among the three do fit together rather well — plenty of professors have written a novel or two, and certainly plenty of surgeons are also professors — but it’s a rare individual that looks at those three choices and says, “Yeah, sure, I’ll take ‘em all.”

  Education Surgery General Interest
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  "13 Reasons Why" and the Difficult Subject of Teen Suicide

  April 28, 2017

  Netflix's "13 Reasons Why" has received significant attention, not all of it positive, for the graphic way it portrays suicide, sexual assault, and bullying. For Steve Berkowitz, MD, director of the Penn Center for Youth and Family Trauma Response and Recovery, the show fails to adequately handle the subject of teenage suicide in a number of ways — some all too common.

  General Interest Public Health Psychology Trauma
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  The Creative Scientist, the Scientific Creative

  April 03, 2017

  Before starting here, I didn’t put much thought into the fact that the lady who performs joint replacements by day could also be performing Spanish guitar at open mic nights. My experience here has, of course, taught me otherwise: Creative minds are everywhere. In retrospect, though, it’s a lesson I could have learned without such experience. History has shown us creativity and medicine make good bedfellows.

  General Interest Hospice Human Interest Cancer
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  Putting the ‘Plastic’ in ‘Synaptic Plasticity’

  March 03, 2017

  We’ve all seen 'em: Children displaying prowess far beyond ours in areas we considered ourselves capable. They make up for a lack of experience with the ability to learn at an extraordinary pace, surpassing their elders quickly. You may be relieved to know there’s a term, and full scientific explanation, for this phenomenon—beyond just your being out of touch.

  Aging Brain and Behavior Neurology Psychology