Learning that your teen has an eating disorder is baffling and deeply troubling news for parents. Our instincts are to protect and try to help …
Month: March 2015
Are your cells stressed out? One Stanford researcher is helping them relax
Welcome to Biomed Bites, a weekly feature that introduces readers to some of Stanford's most innovative researchers. In her family, Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, is the …
Author-physician Atul Gawande on dying and end-of-life care
When Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, witnessed the untimely and inevitable passing of patients, friends and his father, the shortcomings of our medical system’s approach to …
Engaging with art to improve clinical skills
The scene: A group of medical students huddled around the iconic Robert Frank photograph Car Accident - U.S. 66, Between Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona in …
A young child, a falling cabinet, and a Life Flight rescue
Life in the air rescue business is highly unpredictable. You can spend many hours idling away the time in an obscure, basement office. But when …
Why does “just doing medical school” feel like it’s not enough?
SMS (“Stanford Medical School”) Unplugged was recently launched as a forum for students to chronicle their experiences in medical school. The student-penned entries appear on …
Exploring the costs and deaths associated with workplace stress
Many of us know that a stressful job or work environment can be hard on our physical and mental health. But what is less known …
Celebrating 25 years of biomedical innovation at Stanford’s Beckman Center
"Innovation in the Biosphere," a recent symposium organized to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, attracted a standing-room-only …
NIH puts focus on the placenta, the “fascinating” and “least understood” organ
Last week, the NIH announced its support for an initiative to study how new technologies can shed light on the placenta's function and health during …
A look at stem cells and “chemobrain”
As many as 75 percent of cancer patients experience memory and attention problems during or after their treatment, and up to 3.9 million are afflicted …
Watson, the narcoleptic Chihuahua, demonstrates symptoms on-air
What's black and white (with just a few splotches of brown), understands French, and falls asleep at feeding times? A narcoleptic Chihuahua named Watson. Watson's …
A telephone lifeline for moms with postpartum depression
I’m currently pregnant and due in less than two weeks. It’s my second child, so I’m not as worried about caring for a newborn as …
Tiny balloon-like vesicles carry cellular chatter with remarkable specificity, say Stanford researchers
"BRUSH YOUR TEETH," I bellowed up the stairs last night at my (seemingly deaf and clueless) children for what seemed like the one-millionth time since …
Abraham Verghese: “A saintliness in so many of my patients”
There's a quiet dignity that envelopes Abraham Verghese, MD. You can imagine other authors whose books have scaled to the top to be taken with themselves, …