Kathy Ray retired in 2024 from 30 years as a PA in the fields of dermatology, cardiology and internal medicine in the Albany, New York area. Patients’ stories often inspired poetry, but it was relegated to sticky notes. Now, words get their due.
The poem is by Mufakir Bhanain, which is a pen name for Drs. Pamela Butler and Fatima Shad (see bio below). Dr. Butler lives in New York City and Dr. Shad lives in Sydney, Australia.
Brief bio: Mufakir Bhanain is the union of two neuroscientists (Drs. Pamela Butler and Fatima Shad), who write poetry together. Mufakir means thinker and Bhanain means sister.
Nimish Garg a 4th-year medical student at the USC Keck School of Medicine, planning to become an internal medicine physician. He writes poetry as a creative outlet to reflect on and navigate both the triumphs and challenges of learning the art of medicine.
Bio: Priscilla Duran Luciano, MD, is a research fellow in cardiovascular epidemiology and an emerging poet based in New York City. Passionate about the heart in both clinical and poetic senses, she writes at the intersection of medicine, identity, love, and resilience.
Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., was Curator of Historical Collections at SUNY Upstate Medical University from 1987 to 2006 and has taught at Villanova University, Syracuse University, Upstate, and the College of Saint Rose. He is the author, editor, or translator of over 690 publications in philosophy, religion, librarianship, history, history of medicine, politics, humor, popular culture, and nineteenth-century studies.
Manal Imran is a medical student from Miami, FL. Her poem ‘In the Presence of Shadows’ l was inspired by an OB/GYN rotation, where the unexpected loss of a newborn contrasted with the floor’s usual joy
by Maryam Tariq, MD
This poem was inspired by a clinical encounter during my Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship. What began as a routine outpatient follow-up revealed, through a single screening question, a recent suicide attempt by a teen who had appeared stable. The piece reflects on the tension between clinical progress and hidden emotional suffering, and the critical importance of asking direct questions ,even when things seem “better.”
Priscilla Duran Luciano, MD, is a research fellow in cardiovascular epidemiology and an emerging poet based in New York City. Passionate about the heart in both clinical and poetic senses, she writes at the intersection of medicine, identity, love, and resilience.
Samuel Weisenthal, PhD, MD, MS explores the humanistic implications of statistical frameworks for medical decision-making through essays, poetry, and visual art. He aims to facilitate the application of evidence to medicine in a way that is both rigorous and patient-centered.
Eric Dessner is an ophthalmologist in private practice in Brooklyn, NY. He is the founder and CEO of www.medmic.com