Resident Physician Contributing Writer
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Dr. Jennifer Geller is a general surgery resident at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. She completed medical school at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with distinctions in bioethics and medical humanities and during that time served as both Managing Editor and later Editor-in-Chief of In-Training. She is a graduate of Brandeis University with majors in Biology and Chemistry. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys baking, hiking and spending time with friends and family.
Still lungs. Silent heart. Time of death: 2:40. CPR starts at 7:02. Eight minutes later, alive with a breathing tube. All seem to happen in the same room. The one in the corner, just out of view. With each admission, we all look around. We all think the same, without making a sound. “New admission in 604.” Eye contact shows fear, of what is in store. The best job we …
Wrinkly face and wonky head; I support your wobbly neck. No matter the emotion, you respond with a cry. It’s early on, we’re full of yawns, trying to survive. I know those eyes can’t yet see much, but you already recognize mama’s touch. Then, one day, you smile at me, and it’s hard to express my absolute glee! You lift your head, then it plops to the ground. Before I know it, you’ll be rolling …
It was the most joyful of times. It was the most horrific of times. A week before my first child was born, an act of terror occurred on the other side of the world. And ever since that terrible day, violence has steadily escalated. My family has grown, while others are decimated. I celebrate with my son, as he grows and showers us with smiles; others search for their children amongst the rubble piles. I hope and pray for my child to sleep through the night; others beg for their …
Hello, come in, / and welcome to peds clinic! / My attention is on you / for the next 20 minutes.
Home became a dark / place, and I miss the feeling / of warmth on my face
During my medical school journey at the University of Maryland, I created this photography series as an introspective representation of my experiences and to portray some of the unseen challenges and realities of medical training that, for example, are not seen on “medfluencer’s” pages — some feelings, experiences, and stories I wish I would have known prior to embarking on this career path.
At the turn of every corner / I will be found out / You will see / The fraud in me
Don’t you forget the first day of life, / You had turned upside down / And a tight slap upon your backside / Even to get you to breathe!
It feels odd to have family members in the hospital regularly again. My patient’s wife approaches cautiously; for a second I pretend not to see her. She looks like she wants to talk and I’m afraid she wants good news I can’t give, promises I can’t make, and time I don’t feel like I have. She wants time to tell me her loved one’s stories.
Graduation gown: shiny, matching cap / She looks up / With aspirations
Scared and frightened, we came in as interns / We had the knowledge, but we needed direction
Here I am, come and get me! A playful provocation we have all used with much more than literal meaning as a mantra. But going through the rigors, chills and metaphorical bacteremia of medical education, I lost some of the pieces that made me confident to be myself.
Fellow Physician Contributing Writer
Johns Hopkins University / National Institutes of Health
Dr. Michael Barbato is a pediatric hematology oncology fellow at Johns Hopkins University/National Institutes of Health. He is specializing in epigenetic research and considering a bone marrow transplant clinical focus. He is interested in advocating for maintaining professional and personal life balance in medicine and physician burnout. He is particularly passionate about the arts and how they can be used as expressions in medicine. He can be found on Instagram @mibarbato.
