Michael Robinson, MD, MPH

This is a quicker post as I am on a busier rotation these next few weeks.  When I write in this public facing manner, I often think about the following question: do my thoughts add anything to the conversation? Have they been better said by somebody else?  I was thinking about the increased awareness towards anti-racism and the lived experience of Black Americans; and a way to effectively channel these protests into lasting and effective change that will benefit all Americans.  I then saw that former president Barack Obama recently published a piece on Medium detailing those exact thoughts. I encourage everyone to check it out, the link can be found here . So instead of going long on this, I will only add a few more thoughts to that excellent piece.  I do wonder if we are in need of a national leader / figure to help shepherd us into a lasting change. I have stated this before but I think this is true regardless of political viewpoint - our current president is clear...

Wanted to start things off with a book review! This is one of the best books I have read all year, and I have recommended it to everyone and put it all over my social media accounts. It is a book that utilizes the authors personal background and story from living in rural Oregon, and uses personal anecdotes to weave together a compelling work that chronicles our current socioeconomic and political divide, and the vast disparities that exist in our society today. The authors describe and explain the recent and well described phenomenon regarding the increase in mortality rates in the past few years among middle aged poor/working class whites, largely due to the "deaths of despair" - drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. They put a compelling spin on this topic by weaving in personal anecdotes regarding people Mr. Kristof grew up with and how their individual stories reflect the larger problem at hand. This is done in a very effective and interesting manner. The titular tightrop...

Welcome to my blog! My name is Michael Robinson. I'm originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, and am currently a medical resident in Pennsylvania. I went to undergrad at Wake Forest University (Go Deacs!), and I received my medical degree and master of public health from the University of North Carolina. I've long considered starting a more public facing blog and finally decided to pull the trigger! My reasons for doing so: 1. There's a lot of misinformation on the internet regarding medicine and public health. This has been especially apparent during the current COVID epidemic during which I write this inaugural post. I want to use my knowledge to help put what is hopefully factual information that is based in reality and be a somewhat trusted source of information with regard to health topics.  2. As an African-American male where there unfortunately aren't too many people in my line of work that look like me, I want to put myself out there as an example to anyone t...