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
There was a dark, empty space. / Stillness, / Where there should have been movement.
Your mom gets tetanus (Tdap) / before you’re born, / Plus COVID and flu / are the norm.
My husband and I were pregnant with a child / Then we found out something wild. / I am a carrier of SMA / And this affects me in almost no way.
why do we live? do we struggle in vain / for the dream of a world, of a life without pain? / we suffer in spades, without cause, without gain
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!
A flicker on the screen of the heartbeat, the first glimpse of my baby, I cry at the possibility of new life // An empty ultrasound, no heartbeat, a young mom cries; discovery of death amidst life.
Resident Physician Contributing Author
University of Washington School of Medicine
Eunice Stallman, MD completed her BS in neurobiology at the University of Washington, her medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and is currently a fourth-year psychiatry resident at the University of Washington-Idaho Advanced Clinician Track. Her interests lie in advocacy and wellness for residents, maternal mental health, and gender equality. She spends much of her non-work time exploring beautiful Boise with her husband and three young children, ages one, three, and five.
