By Nicholas Theodore, M.D. If a person’s spine is unstable because of injury, degenerative disease or another cause, he or she may need spinal stabilization surgery to correct the problem. During this procedure, surgeons typically take multiple X-rays to pinpoint where to place screws to stabilize the spine. I was convinced there was a better(...)
Why We Ask the Big Questions
Posted by | Asia Pacific, Collaboration, Health Innovation, Latin America, Medical Technology, Middle East, Patient Care, Patient Safety, ResearchFor more than a century, Johns Hopkins physicians and scientists have investigated the roots of wellness and made countless advances in medicine — developing breakthrough treatments that change lives. These men and women pioneered surgery for breast cancer, developed CPR, invented the first implantable pacemaker, described the role of Vitamin A to prevent blindness and identified the(...)
Homing In on Better Health
Posted by | Health Innovation, Medical Technology, Patient Care, Precision Medicine, ResearchAt Johns Hopkins, pursuing personalized medicine is nothing new. Our founding father William Osler set the course of modern medicine by urging his colleagues to “care more for the individual patient than for the special features of his disease.” For 130 years, Johns Hopkins has focused on the idea that every patient’s battle with a(...)
No More Pain and Dancing Again
Posted by | Care Providers, Latin America, Patient CareFor nearly four years, Mexico City resident Rebecca Passy suffered from a displaced vertebra in her lower back. Not only did this cause her debilitating pain, it robbed her of one of her greatest joys: dancing. If she ever was going to be able to live pain free and dance, Rebecca needed surgery to fuse(...)
Bringing Our Global Mission Home
Posted by | Academic Medicine, Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Health System Sustainability, Latin America, Medical Education, Nurse Development, Patient Care, Patient Safety, Project DevelopmentIt’s been almost two years since Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico, causing an estimated $100 billion in damage. Health care providers on the island are still seeing increased needs related to chronic conditions, particularly for diabetes. According to a recent Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 41 percent of Puerto Rico residents surveyed who have(...)
One-in-a-Million Diagnosis? Those Odds Don’t Faze Us.
Posted by | Care Providers, Latin America, Patient CareBy Ali Bydon, M.D. Before he came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment in 2017, Pedro Gil, now 45, had struggled with a thoracic disk herniation for 10 years. His herniated disk had calcified, turning to bone, and it pressed on his spinal cord to produce excruciating pain, weakness, numbness and even paralysis. He(...)
Bermuda Hospitals Board Names Johns Hopkins Top Bidder
Posted by | Academic Medicine, Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Medical EducationFor more than three decades, the unique community of Bermuda has held a special place in our hearts at Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI). (You can read more about how we care for Bermudian patients and our on-the-ground efforts to provide information on the latest health advances.) Earlier this month we started a new agreement(...)
Far From Home, But in Good Hands
Posted by | Asia PacificThe 18-year-old Mr. Yan had come from China to study in the United States when he started feeling weak, uncomfortable and feverish. When his fever wouldn’t go away, he went to The Johns Hopkins Hospital for a checkup. It was there that our physicians diagnosed Mr. Yan with lymphoma — a type of blood cancer. Throughout(...)
Live From China, It’s John Hopkins Medicine
Posted by | Asia Pacific, Collaboration, Medical Education, ResearchBefore becoming president of Johns Hopkins Medicine International, I spent eight years overseeing JHI’s educational infrastructure planning and medical training efforts with affiliates, particularly in Asia. My work with JHI has taken me to China at least 15 times, including many visits to Chinese universities and teaching hospitals. Last summer, I traveled to Beijing with(...)
AI and Eye Health
Posted by | Care Providers, Patient CareBy Dr. T. Y. Alvin Liu Did you know the retina is actually part of the brain? It’s a direct extension of the central nervous system. So when people say eyes are the window to one’s soul, it’s perhaps not that far of a stretch after all. I’ve been interested in the retina since I(...)