Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu
STAT
Cambridge, MA, United States
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Past articles by Jennifer:
My pregnancy made me fear for my career. It doesn’t have to be that way
As I stared at my positive pregnancy test before starting sub-specialist training, I worried how my new colleagues would react to my news. → Read More
As doctors, we know the Nigerian travel ban is cruel. Now it's personal
As new parents, we feel the Trump administration has kicked our family scaffolding out from under us. → Read More
My baby needed expensive care. Why was my insurer on a long weekend?
People in health care work nights, holidays, and weekends. Why was my insurance company closed when my baby needed her expensive care approved? → Read More
Why are we less forgiving of Ralph Northam as a politician than as a doctor?
When I heard the news about Gov. Ralph Northam, I was obviously horrified, but I didn’t agree with the calls for his resignation — and that surprised me. → Read More
Dear Atul: As you go on your listening tour, don't forget about mental health
The new CEO of the health care venture from Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan could make a huge impact on mental health parity. Here's how. → Read More
#MeToo: So many of my patients have a story. And absorbing them is taking its toll
The intersection of the rise of #MeToo and my growing responsibilities in medicine are forcing me to confront the lingering pain of my own experiences. → Read More
The residency hunt is no small task: Here's some advice for medical students
While you crisscross the country in search of your match, let me offer these tips to help you make the right choice for yourself. → Read More
A second-year resident gives advice on how to interview for your residency
Where we match can have a profound impact on our lives, and on the communities where we learn. Here are some tips on how to find that best fit. → Read More
Reporting an elderly doctor. And suffering from snitch guilt.
Did his decades of experience matter if he couldn’t communicate well? What if he actually wasn’t a good doctor? I hated being in this position. → Read More
An elderly doctor was struggling. I spoke up. Then came the 'snitch guilt'
I talked to higher-ups about this doctor, who struggled to hear, and missed an emergency call. It tested my dual loyalties — to both doctors and patients. → Read More
How a kidney stone taught me how medicine has changed me
To me, a kidney stone wasn't really a big deal. But to my husband, it was a family crisis, and it taught me how medicine has changed me. → Read More
An episode of racism in medical school. Did it affect her care years later?
The young woman was curled up in a ball. She was sweating and shivering from pain. → Read More
When it comes to sickle cell, the roots of injustice stretch deep
We need to be sure medical students learn about every disease without judging the people living with it. That didn't happen in my lesson on sickle cell. → Read More
How the end of DACA might derail a promising medical career
A young doctor has lived with immigration uncertainty her whole life. DACA lessened that. If it goes away, her career is in jeopardy. → Read More
You want ‘white anger?’ Try being a black doctor in Charlottesville
For four years, my task was to learn to treat people who were sick. Even the ones who wore their Confederate pride openly, even the ones who threatened to shoot me on home health visits. → Read More
I became a doctor in Charlottesville. I know white anger well
My four years in Charlottesville were a stark reminder that racism still exists — in my case, in the hospital setting. → Read More
Prescribing opioids: a middleman in the war between pain and addiction
The first time I prescribed opioids, I misread my patient’s medication list and accidentally ordered a dose that could easily have hurt her. → Read More
How a text message can mean the difference between sickness and health
I’ve learned firsthand that a simple text message can bridge patient care in and out of the hospital and make the medical system a little more efficient. → Read More
Losing that patient was one of my most traumatic experiences
It was easier, or more expedient, for me to suffer the loss of a dreamed-up nobody, rather than the loss of a real somebody. → Read More
When my patient died, I imagined what his life had been. I was wrong
I had a patient who was homeless and suffered from mental illness. He died, and in imagining what his life was like, I learned a lot about empathy. → Read More