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Why Legal Pot Makes This Physician Sick
There's nothing natural about the rise in cannabis-related hospitalizations writes this cardiologist who is sick of the smell and the medical consequences of legal pot.
Experts And Viewpoints, October 19, 2023
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The Surgeon Who Swapped Scalpel for Paintbrush
If medicine is not your true passion, should you quit? The life of a friend from medical school left this cardiologist questioning his choices but grateful to have known him.
Experts And Viewpoints, July 20, 2023
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In Defense of Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners have recently been accused of causing DNA damage and not helping with weight control, but a closer look at the data gives this physician pause.
Experts And Viewpoints, June 26, 2023
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Human Health in Space: One Small Step for Manikin-kind
As NASA plans a return to the Moon, Dr Walton-Shirley explores how space travel affects the body , medical emergencies, and what we will learn from Commander Moonikin Campos and the Artemis mission.
Experts And Viewpoints, May 17, 2023
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ABIM or NBPAS Recredentialing: Do We Really Have a Choice?
A cardiologist thought she had an easier path to reaccreditation but found herself back doing ABIM MOC because the easier NBPAS pathway is not accepted by a lot of hospitals.
Experts And Viewpoints, October 28, 2022
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Like Texting and Driving: The Human Cost of AI
Enthusiastic presentations on the use of AI in medicine at a recent conference left this cardiologist concerned about the potential loss of human interaction.
Experts And Viewpoints, October 10, 2022
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What Will It Take to Cure EHR Note Bloat?
Stop typing the equivalent of War and Peace and embrace click parsimony are among the tips from Epic's CMO and others for cutting the time spent on electronic health records.
Experts And Viewpoints, May 24, 2022
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Organ Transplantation: Unvaccinated Need Not Apply
Outrage over the denial of transplant organs to the unvaccinated is an opportunity to educate people on the complexities of organ allocation, writes Melissa Walton-Shirley, channeling her inner Ted Lasso.
Experts And Viewpoints, February 10, 2022
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Artificial Hearts: One Size Does Not Fit All
The story of the first woman to receive an Aeson, an investigational, implantable artificial heart, prompted this cardiologist to reflect on the low use of bridging devices and heart transplants in women.
Experts And Viewpoints, November 22, 2021
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USPSTF Statement on Aspirin: Poor Messaging at Best
Could the messaging around the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's draft aspirin recommendations put some patients who likely benefit at risk?
Experts And Viewpoints, October 19, 2021
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Physicians Need to Unionize Now
Complaining about the loss of physician autonomy isn't going to change anything. We need to unionize, argues this doctor.
Experts And Viewpoints, August 04, 2021
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Losing Both Parents During COVID: A Physician's 'Unwitnessed Grief'
Melissa Walton-Shirley quit full-time practice to help care for her elderly parents. That they would both die during a pandemic when close comfort and mourning rituals were not allowed magnified her loss.
Experts And Viewpoints, April 19, 2021
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Fired for Good Judgment a Sign of Physicians' Lost Respect
The firing of a physician who made use of soon-to-expire COVID vaccine doses rather than flush them epitomizes the loss of physician autonomy and respect, warns Melissa Walton-Shirley.
Experts And Viewpoints, February 23, 2021
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AHA 2020
The Duty to Inform: Be Galileo on COVID-19
Melissa Walton-Shirley sees parallels between the 16th-century mathematician and the work of modern-day healthcare workers to rebut COVID denialism.
Experts And Viewpoints, December 03, 2020
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An Avatar Is Not a Human: Virtual Meetings Have Their Limitations
Having virtually attended three cardiology conferences, Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD, found the science on par with their live equivalents, but even an avatar is no substitute for human interaction.
Experts And Viewpoints, November 02, 2020
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Does Less Medical Care Mean Better Care?
A fellow cardiologist comes to the defense of New York Times contributor Sandeep Jauhar, who was castigated on social media for suggesting that most people were fine with fewer doctor visits.
Experts And Viewpoints, July 16, 2020
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Traveling in the Shadow of a Pandemic
Despite a feeling that this could be bad, Melissa Walton-Shirley took a long-planned trip to Israel, hoping to be stay ahead of the coronavirus spread -- a decision she now realizes was an unnecessary gamble.
Experts And Viewpoints, April 06, 2020
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Smalltown Practice: Even a Bathroom Stall Is No Escape
Melissa Walton-Shirley recalls the joys and stresses of 24 years in smalltown private practice, where even an encounter in a public bathroom can turn into an office visit.
Experts And Viewpoints, March 16, 2020
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Cardiologist by Day, Rock Singer at Night: Music Is My Polypill
A dying request from a cantankerous patient reignites Melissa Walton-Shirley’s love of singing after a 15-year hiatus.
Experts And Viewpoints, December 21, 2019
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ESC 2019
Millennial Mentoring: Is it Time to Soften Our Rough Edges?
Melissa Walton-Shirley attended a talk on workplace challenges from a millennial physician, which made her rethink her assessment of a former intern as 'smart but lazy.'
Experts And Viewpoints, October 22, 2019