I confess. I’m a chocoholic. Most days at lunch, I allow myself a ration of one square (or maybe two) of dark chocolate for dessert. …
Author: Ruthann Richter
South Africa's ambitious plan to tackle HIV/AIDS
For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of South Africans languished and died in the shadow of AIDS as the country’s president, Thabo Mbeki, …
Holding the salt could save lives, money
We’ve all been warned of the dangers of too much salt, but it’s hard to regulate salt intake when we’re at the mercy of food …
ECT for depression – not so shocking
I grew up in the era of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the film that portrays electroshock therapy as a form of torture practiced …
Treating the injured amid the apocalypse of Haiti
Over the last two days, I have spoken to seven caregivers at Stanford who treated earthquake victims in Haiti, all describing what they experienced as …
Rescuing Haiti's HIV/AIDS patients
Among the many aftershocks of the Haitian earthquake is that it left thousands of HIV/AIDS patients in dire need of medical help, including medication. Before …
Circumcising newborns to prevent HIV
Circumcision as a way to prevent HIV emerged as a hot topic in 2007, when the first large-scale studies from Africa showed it could reduce …
FACE AIDS responds to the emergency in Haiti
One of the organizations on the Stanford campus that has always impressed me is FACE AIDS, a group of very energetic students who have taken …
Using cell phones to save lives
Got an old cell phone you'd like to toss? Stanford medical student Nadim Mahmud would gratefully take it and put it to good use helping …
Helping Rwandan orphans avoid HIV
Among the tragic side-effects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide is that so many children were left behind after witnessing the trauma of seeing many family …
One cappuccino please – hold the croissant
During a recent visit to the Cheesecake Factory in downtown Palo Alto, we couldn’t help but notice the large-print labels that tell customers they may …
HIV travel ban lifted – finally
This week, the United States began allowing HIV-positive individuals to enter the country for the first time in 22 years. This shameful policy prohibiting U.S. …
Trimming treatment for AIDS patients
I read the New York Times account of the president’s new AIDS plan, and all that came to mind were the images of people I …
How to best care for AIDS orphans in Africa
During my travels in Kenya, I met a toddler named Mary Maishon who at one time had been a starved bundle of rags. She had …
Dramatic new film on Kristof's search for social change
Last night I previewed a new HBO documentary, Reporter, in which New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof takes viewers on an astonishing journey in his …
Some sobering reflections on World AIDS Day
On World AIDS Day, I typically take time to reflect on the people I have met who have been affected by this ongoing crisis. They …