Resident Physician Contributing Writer
New York City
Michael Pappas chose to pursue medicine because he believes working as a physician can provide him a unique role in helping individuals address the physical and mental suffering they are experiencing secondary to the various structurally violent systems. He believes capitalism, along with other oppressive, destructive systems such as racism and imperialism are the true drivers of disease proliferation worldwide. Ultimately, he believes medicine, especially in the current profit driven western model, is incapable of addressing these causes of disease proliferation. He spends his time working with various organizations and community based movements to work toward a more just world -- a society that actually focuses on the health and well being of the many and not expanding the private capital of the wealthy and powerful.
Nurses in New York City are pushing back against hospital systems that put profits over patients and threaten their efforts to strike for safer staffing ratios. While nurses are fighting, physicians have thus far remained on the sidelines of this struggle.
The faint glow that is the light at the end of the tunnel hits my face as I realize that intern year is almost over. One would think that having been through the personal loss I have — losing two beloved older brothers at a young age — that intern year would be more than manageable. Yet this past year has been, for me, a chaotic roller coaster ride.
Resident Physician Contributing Writer
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Christopher was born in Los Angeles and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. He is currently a second year resident in pediatrics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. He received his bachelor of science from University of California, San Diego, and his medical degree from Rush Medical College. He plans to pursue a fellowship in hematology-oncology.
