Recent Articles

A Warm Welcome to the 2024 graduates of California Northstate University! Where are the graduates of the – Let’s have a round of applause for these amazing individuals! Congratulations!  A Warm Welcome to the parents, siblings, spouses, children, grandparents, significant others, and friends. Each of you have undoubtedly played an important role in helping each of these graduates be where they are today. Thank you for the invitation to speak today, Dean and Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs, Dr. Richard Isaacs, distinguished faculty and guests. I’m absolutely thrilled to be here and proud of what each of you have accomplished over the past few years. Each of us are shaped by the times we live in and by our experiences, and you have persevered and been resilient in your pursuit of  one of the noblest professions anyone can do  Whether your next steps are going to  you will […] Read More »

As a fellow Canadian who has lived in the States since 1985 and in California since 1997, I felt compelled to write his blog post after watching a heart wrenching story / stream about a Canadian woman seeking medical care in Los Angeles who ended up spending 90 (!) hours at a mental health / urgent care facility for an involuntary psychiatric hold or a 5150. As the only doctor in my family, I know I’ve protected them more often than not from the dangers of the US health care system since 2000 (!), and I always want to help when I can for those who simply don’t know, are too busy, or just unaware. This is for you. Share widely. First off and stating the obvious: It’s not you. It’s the US health care system. The following recommendations are what I would give my family, friends, and my children […] Read More »

For those actively avoiding COVID… be like MAVERICK! the end is inevitable. your kind is headed for extinction… maybe so. but not today countermeasures – N95 mask, vaccinations, good airflow / Corsi–Rosenthal Box, and staunch belief in yourself. I see you and support you! (added September 14, 2022) Now it’s August 2022 and as children return back to school, the CDC announced its most recent guidelines on how to protect one’s self from COVID (and therefore more importantly long COVID) it’s been increasingly clear, you and your family are on your own! What should you do to minimize your risk of getting COVID, long COVID, or getting it more than once? Guidance from CDC as of late has NOT been great – Although I’ve often discussed why I’m so focused on fixing health care, during these most unsettled times, stress, inaccurate information, and uncertainty, more than ever as the only […] Read More »

The reason that the United States hasn’t been able reach to higher vaccination rates is because of leadership failures. It’s really hard for leaders to lead transformational change during stable times. Infinitely harder to lead in a VUCA dynamic world, but not impossible. It’s the timeless leadership challenge: How do you help the people you lead get from A to B? This exchange between Fox Sunday host Chris Wallace and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts makes it pretty clear that both Wallace and Ricketts are actually correct and each of their responses are rational and appropriate. Wallace wonders why do parents object to getting their children vaccinated for COVID but not other required vaccines needed before attending school? He notes that when he was a child, his parents and many others didn’t hesitate when the polio vaccine first came out. So what Wallace highlights is that vaccine requirements have existed for […] Read More »

A truly incredible story of an elementary school immigrant from China who through grit, perseverance, and steely focus, and who witnesses and experiences all too many tragedies becomes one of America’s most trusted physicians and public health advocates not necessarily because she wanted to, but because she feels compelled to do so.  Dr. Leana Wen’s deep care, empathy, integrity, pragmatism and gratitude towards her patients and the public are a consequence of her stressful upbringing, fortuitous opportunities, and individual setbacks which were complemented by the support and kindness of strangers, teachers, and mentors who took an interest in helping push and guide her. In a very raw, candid, and personal account of her challenges growing up, becoming a patient advocate, and then ultimately a very public figure, Dr. Wen shares her personal and professional struggles as a child living in an immigrant household trying to make ends meet, seeing injustices […] Read More »