For 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(...)
Patient Care
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(...)
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(...)
From West Point to East Baltimore
Posted by | Care Providers, Patient CareBy Dr. James Ficke I have been an orthopaedic surgeon for more than two decades, but I’m also a retired U.S. Army colonel. It was my 30-year career in military medicine that instilled a passion for studying outcomes related to limb loss, limb salvage and lower-extremity trauma—conditions I saw in Mosul that I now treat(...)
Look Homeward to Fix China’s Broken Health System
Posted by | Asia Pacific, Collaboration, Patient CareHealth care is at a flashpoint in China, where being seen by a general practitioner is three times more difficult than the international standard, according to the World Health Organization. Lines snake around hospitals in China’s urban centers, while few to no treatment centers exist in rural areas. China desperately needs innovative solutions to open(...)
The Tao of Wow in Patient Experience
Posted by | Patient Care, Patient SafetyOur patient experience team is always on the job. That job is “wow-ing” our patients before their visit to Johns Hopkins, while they’re here and when they return home—at every step of their journey with us. Amel Elshinawi, our patient experience manager, says, “Improving the care we provide to patients is a continuous process. Our(...)
Condensed Care for a Long, Healthy Retirement
Posted by | Middle East, Patient CareMohamed Almulla wanted a peaceful retirement. “Any old man, like me, needs quietness,” he says. However, Mr. Almulla’s health hampered his ability to relax and spend time with his family on their farm near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. He reached out to Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) to improve his quality of(...)