They are all my patients! During my unusual medical career, I have practiced in places ranging from the ER at SF General Hospital (aka Zuckerberg), the Haight-Ashbury Clinic, a rural medical clinic in Copperopolis (yes, it exists and I still see patients there) and my own practice. Many stories here…

One year ago, I merged my primary care practice with one where the patient population was almost exclusively comprised of first responders (eg. police officers, firefighters, paramedics, etc) injured in the line of duty. The doctor whose practice I acquired was tragically killed in a bicycle crash and his death left a huge void for his patients before I took over. Until I started working with them, I knew nothing about what it really was like to be a cop or firefighter. They have incredibly stressful and physically demanding jobs that almost inevitably lead to injuries, often made worse by a Byzantine worker's compensation system that can be intolerably slow, capricious and even cruel. Many stories here…

Before I was a doctor, I was an engineer. After having been rejected by scores of medical schools, twice, and armed with zero real world experience, I was hired by a medical device startup. By the time I left for the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology MD program seven years later, the company invented modern pulse oximetry and I was able to trade C’s, a D and even an F for patents. Many stories here…

Over the coming months, I will share some of my stories. I have already written about my 102-year old patient. My family and close friends have enjoyed my little vignettes (or so they say…) and they have encouraged me to put pen to paper, so that’s what I plan to do.

Until next time.