MAHEK KHWAJA is a Karachi-based writer and editor with a background in English Literature and medical publications. Her work has appeared in journals such as Hektoen International and explores themes of healing, identity, and cultural expression. She draws inspiration from personal experiences, including caregiving, to write reflective poetry.
Ms. Wendy Dereix is a retired English teacher from Dayton, Ohio. “Poetry is where I often find universal truths emerging from a simple idea or happenstance. This poem sprang from a short, mundane conversation in passing with a family member in the health profession. I am submitting it here in honor of all healthcare workers in search of their own universal truths.”
Dominic Lal is a 3rd year medical student at UNC Chapel Hill. “This haiku addressess a scenario where I managed to effectively engage with a patient who was very upset because the clinic was running late.”
Dr. Nithisha Thatikoda MD is 3rd year neurology resident at UTMB.
Fall 2024-Winter 2025 Poetry Contest: Winner to Receive a $200 Dollar Prize
Fall 2024 -Winter 2025 Haiku Contest : $100 Dollar Prize
Eliana Jacobs is a Fulbright Scholar who aspires to become a physician to advocate for the intersectionality of health, education, public health, and writing. She brings awareness towards social determinants of health through her numerous medical poetry publications in Stanford JUSTHEALTH and the Journal of the Student National Medical Association (JSNMA).
Madison Peregoy, MD. I am an Internal Medicine resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center originally from Wilmington, North Carolina.
At 27, verging towards a doctorate at Harvard, Elly Katz went for a mundane procedure to stabilize her neck. Somehow, she survived what doctors surmised was unsurvivable: a brainstem stroke secondary to a physician’s needle misplacement.
In the wake of tragedy, she discovered the power of dictation and the bounty of metaphor.