I was talking to a friend about the new vaccine coming from Johnson and Johnson, and his immediate response was, “Isn’t that the company that was killing Black people?” I admit that I was only peripherally aware of the history behind Johnson and Johnson (JnJ) with the Black community. …

As a medical student I had an eye-opening rotation in obstetrics and gynecology at Baguio General Hospital. By Dr. Aldene Zeno I worked as a sub-intern in obstetrics and gynecology at Baguio General Hospital, Baguio City, Philippines, in 2012. I was fortunate to schedule this month-long, international experience during medical…

By Dr. Aldene Zeno I’m on faculty at an academic hospital, and yesterday one of my fellows noticed that her Twitter feed was blowing up with a disturbing story: another male doctor accused of sexual misconduct. The unnamed plaintiff is suing members of the accused’s training institution, Oregon Health Sciences…

But that doesn’t mean you should be on bedrest, either… Me, six weeks postpartum, finding out that this is STILL the beginning of my recovery By Dr. Aldene Zeno Six weeks is commonly the timeframe many obstetricians advise “pelvic rest” for women after birth, which is the same advice many…

By Dr. Aldene Zeno Virtual doctor visits go by many names, including “telehealth” and “telemedicine” or “telemed.” These include video and telephone visits, and the concept is not new: Physicians have used it for decades to provide guidance to colleagues across the globe, even in cross-continental surgeries. …

By Dr. Aldene Zeno There’s the old saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when most of the pregnancy book covers feature white women or white authors, I had to create my own diverse and inclusive reading list. So here it is: First Trimester (weeks 0–14): pregnancy explained I generally lose interest in non-fiction…

It depends…are you an urgent pee-er, or do you have a lazy bladder? By Dr. Aldene Zeno When patients ask me about holding their urine, they usually fall into one of two groups: urgent pee-ers or over-stretched bladders. As I mention below, how often one goes to the bathroom is…

The first Black woman enrolled in medical school over 150 years ago, named Dr. Rebecca Crumpler. She is receiving renewed attention due to National Black Women Physicians Day, inaugurated on February 8, 2021. In addition, the first ever advisor to the president on health equity is in the current administration…

(And it’s a good thing!) I consider it a privilege to talk to my patients about sex. I won’t spill any details about particular patients here, but I’m often surprised that my patients can be so forthcoming about their sex lives. …