A Hole in Our Thinking: Culture and the Perils of Organizational Myopia
Let me begin with a charmingly absurd tale: there’s a town with a massive hole right in the middle of it. People fall into this hole, cars tumble into it, causing a great deal of harm and imposing huge costs on the local healthcare system. Naturally, the city council gathers to solve the problem. One […]
I Have Cancer—And It’s Not What You Think!
We radiologists are, at our core, storytellers of the body. We sit in dimly lit rooms deciphering patterns of light and shadow, hunting for that elusive whisper of tissue out of place—a malignant entity on the verge of devouring healthy cells. Throughout years of training, I became adept at detecting subtle shifts on scans: a […]
A Brief Manifesto on Valuing One’s Work
My dear Dan, Allow me, for just a moment, to mount a soapbox in the middle of this digital circus. I gather you’re less than enthusiastic about my notion of putting my writing behind a modest paywall, but I have decided—quite consciously, in fact—to disobey your counsel. Yes, yes, I have no illusions about fame […]
The “Next” Theory in Healthcare: Finding Meaning in a High-Volume System
By Dr. Khashayar Rafat Zand Always too eager for the future, We pick up bad habits of expectancy. … — Philip Larkin, “Next, Please” 1. Introduction Modern healthcare often feels like a colossal machine—an assembly line where clinicians swiftly move from one patient to the next. The words “next” can carry a potent symbolism: it […]
“The Hug from the Unhuggable”
I have an ongoing problem with one of my clinic’s most expensive machines. I can’t share specifics, but let’s just say it’s been the bane of my existence for far too long. The technicians responsible for its upkeep seem to be on a never-ending rotation in my office, trying to fix the latest glitch. Lately, […]
Kindness is Freedom!
Stoics remind us that there is a last time for everything we do. This brings us back to the moment, filling us with gratitude. ‘Memento mori’, the Romans would say. Have you thought about the last time that we will get to be kind? After all, we are not saints, only ordinary. We cannot be […]
Transforming a “Black Ocean” into a “Red Ocean” Healthcare System
Introduction Healthcare systems worldwide grapple with dual pressures of rising demand and limited supply. In many regions—particularly in publicly funded systems—this tension produces what some observers label a “Black Ocean” healthcare environment, where the absence of meaningful competition and incentives leads to declining quality and prolonged wait times. Drawing upon the metaphor of “fishermen and fish,” […]
The Problem with Using Animal Videos on LinkedIn
Introduction: A Changing Platform LinkedIn has evolved significantly since its inception. What started as a purely professional networking site has gradually become a platform where users also post personal anecdotes and feel-good stories—often involving animals. While some argue that these posts add a “human touch,” there are deeper implications when lighthearted animal content begins to […]
A Hook to come.
By Dr. Khashayar Rafat Zand. 1 Abel stared into the obsidian expanse of the Black Ocean, its surface as smooth and still as black glass. Night had long fallen, yet a strange luminescence glowed beneath the waves, as if an entire world lurked down there, yearning to be revealed. He stood at the edge of […]
Get paid to STOP scrolling!
The Price of Prevention: Why I’m Paying My Children to Stay off Social Media I’d like you to imagine a scenario. A parent, out of deep love and concern, slips their teenage son or daughter a crisp $20 note at the end of each week—on one condition: no social networking. Now, I hear some of […]