"Squeamish" is certainly not a word associated with physicians.

Future medical doctor Oreoluwa Olorunlogbon wants to keep it that way.

"My dad was a pharmacist in Nigeria, and he used to tell me he wanted to be a doctor. But, he didn't like blood," he said, laughing. "I was always worried ... but I'm really fascinated by the science of it all. It's like a puzzle, not only how to unravel and solve, but to create new things.

Young Ore with his mom in Nigeria.

"It's a little morbid, I guess. But the fascinating part of medicine is that once you learn how all the individual pieces work, you learn not just how to treat them, but to prevent them and enhance what we already have to make it better."

"Ore," as he is fondly referred to, joins Florida International University classmate Brooke Schwartz as this year's winners of the Robert Kemper Award for Professionalism in Medicine, bestowed annually by faculty to superior students studying medicine at FIU.

The ceremony, presented by the Key Biscayne Community Foundation and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at FIU, takes place from 6-8 p.m. on April 10 at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club.

Schwartz, 26, grew up in Parkland and knew, by middle school, she wanted to be a doctor.

"I really liked doing fun science experiments," she said. "My mom always liked science and would give me fun things to read."

She said dissecting frogs was "definitely a fun part of high school," but her oldest brother, Brandon, was applying for medical school at that point, so that kept her interest, too.

But she's not planning to be a surgeon. After she graduates in May with her doctorate degree, she will attend Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for her three-year residency, which is associated with the Baylor College of Medicine.

Kemper Award winner Brooke Schwartz.

"It's my first time leaving Florida ... I'm looking forward to it," she said. "It's good to branch out and it will be good to see how a medical center functions, but I definitely want to come back (home)."

Schwartz completed her undergraduate education at the University of Florida, where she majored in Biology. Before matriculating into medical school, she earned a Molecular and Biomedical Sciences certificate at FIU. Her dedication to providing humanistic patient care earned her Gold Humanism Honor Society membership.

One of her most meaningful medical school experiences was rotating at a free clinic, UHI CommunityCare, in Miami Gardens. There, she fell in love with pediatrics and was able to connect with and help treat underserved families.

During medical school, she also led a research project on firearm violence prevention in honor of her alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

"I was a sophomore in college when I knew I wanted to go into pediatrics," Schwartz said. "A lot of children die annually from gun violence, and I feel comfortable talking (on a subject) geared toward educating my peers for gun safety."

Kemper Award winner Brooke Schwartz with her parents.

She said she did not pursue pediatrics for the gun violence connection. Still, after the massacre at her high school (after she had graduated), she felt it was necessary to incorporate that part of the curriculum into medical school, hoping others would follow.

She and her boyfriend, a Miami lawyer, occasionally visit the Key Biscayne area, bringing their golden retriever, Arthur, to dog-friendly Hobie Beach. They also enjoy kayaking and watching Miami's pro and college sports teams.

The Kemper honor is named in memory of Dr. Robert Kemper, who exemplified the highest qualities of medical professionalism until his life was cut short by cancer, and it means a lot to Schwartz.

"It's definitely special that my faculty views me as a professional and someone they can trust," she said. "I hope I can keep giving off that impression to my patients."

"Match Day," on March 15, in which graduating medical students were assigned (through certain algorithms) medical facilities for their next level of expertise, will take Olorunlogbon, 27, to Texas. His is a four-year residency in Houston, at the University of Texas-Houston, where he will focus on a joint specialty of internal medicine and pediatrics.

It's also his first time out of Florida, he said. Well, not exactly.

Born in Ibadan, Nigeria, he and his parents immigrated to the U.S. in 2001, when he was just 4.

Oreoluwa Ore Olorunlogbon with his mom and dad.

"My mom (who worked as a health inspector and is now a nurse) won the visa lottery," he explained, a lottery for some 25 years that has granted nearly a half-million Nigerian residents the luxury to travel the world with proper credentials.

"Our parents brought us here for a better life and a better opportunity," Ore said. "I'd like to think they made the most of it, and so did I."

It wasn't easy at first. They lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Ocala, an area known for its horse farms.

"I rode one once. It was a humbling experience," he joked.

The eldest of three siblings (sisters Anuoluwa, 20, and Ifeoluwa, 18), Ore assumed responsibility at a young age, a trait that has carried into his adult life and career goals.

Despite those challenges, he excelled in advanced programs throughout his schooling and enrolled at the University of Florida's honors college in 2015. There, he earned his bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in Health Disparities and developed a passion for working with teenagers and young adults suffering from chronic conditions.

Oreoluwa Ore Olorunlogbon with his loved ones.

"My interest lies in cancer treatments and management," he said. "Literally, it is the hardest and most difficult chapter of a person's life (trying to) handle the physical and emotional burden at the same time. They need someone they can trust."

His passion for hematology, oncology, and palliative holistic medicine is just some of what he offers. He also recognizes the importance of being a source of strength, reassurance, and competency for patients.

"Ever since I was young, I was fascinated trying to help people, but I didn't know in what capacity," Ore said. "Until I grew older, I could show compassion and care and be there in their most challenging times. There's none more challenging (area of the medical field) than sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis or cancer."

He spent the summer of 2016 in a volunteer program at the University of Florida's Shands Children's Hospital. He spent a year in FIU's graduate program, started medical school in 2020, and now will graduate with a doctorate in May.

Like Schwartz, it's a little early to imagine where his career will land.

"I'm leaning toward (working in a hospital), but I do like the idea of having a small, private clinic for under-insured people," Ore said. "It's very important work that doesn't get done enough."

Oreoluwa Ore Olorunlogbon with friends and family at the award event.

Ore is a "big fan" of soccer "when I get a chance to play," he said. But he's also an avid photographer and played the guitar for eight years at one point. He and his girlfriend, Sophia Perez, 26, who has family on Key Biscayne and is also interested in the pediatric field, enjoy going to different restaurants in Miami or cooking cultural food at home.

Beyond the Kemper award, Ore often reflects on what his parents have done for him and his sisters.

"They put food on the table," he said, "and they taught us the importance of hard work."

Originally posted here:
Meet the 2024 winners of the Robert Kemper Award for Professionalism in Medicine - Islander News.com

Many people think of hair loss as a male problem, but it also affects at least a third of women. But unlike men, women typically experience thinning hair without going bald, and there can be a number of different underlying causes for the problem.

"Some are associated with inflammation in the body. Some are female-pattern hair loss," says Dr. Deborah Scott, assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Hair Loss Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital. But the good news is that in many cases this hair loss can be stabilized with treatment, and it may be reversible. When it's not, there are a number of new cosmetic approaches that can help.

The first step in dealing with thinning hair is determining what's happening inside your body that is causing those extra strands to cling to your shoulders and your brush. Some hair loss is normal. Everyone loses hair as part of the hair's natural growth cycle, which occurs in three stages:

Normal hair loss is highly individual. Most people have a sense of how much hair is normal for them to lose. If you suddenly notice more hair than usual falling out, you're shedding clumps of hair, or your hair seems to be visibly thinning, it may be a sign that something is amiss, says Dr. Scott.

Numerous problems can trigger female hair loss. Some are external, such as taking certain medications, frequently wearing hairstyles that pull the hair too tight, or even a stressful event such as surgery. In other cases, thinning hair is triggered by something going on inside the body for instance, a thyroid problem, a shift in hormones, a recent pregnancy, or an inflammatory condition.

Hair loss may also be genetic. The most common genetic condition is known as female-pattern hair loss, or androgenic alopecia. Women with this condition might notice a widening of the part at the top of the head, often beginning when a woman is in her 40s or 50s. You might experience this if you inherit certain genes from one or both parents. Hormonal shifts that occur during menopause may also spur it.

Another trigger for hair loss in women is an inflammatory condition affecting the scalp. That might be eczema, psoriasis, or a condition called frontal fibrosing alopecia, which typically causes scarring and hair loss sometimes permanent at the front of the scalp above the forehead.

Other common causes of hair loss include overuse of damaging hair products, or tools such as dryers and other devices that heat the hair. Underlying illness, autoimmune conditions such as lupus, nutritional deficiencies, or hormonal imbalances may also cause hair to shed.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause, says Dr. Scott. Sometimes simply addressing a medical condition prompting hair loss will be enough for the hair to regrow. In other instances, a woman might consider a medication like minoxidil (Rogaine), which helps with certain types of hair loss, or another treatment to replace or regrow lost hair.

Another potential option being used to treat hair loss is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. For this treatment, the doctor draws your blood, divides it into its separate components, recombines the blood fluid (plasma) with a high concentration of platelets (structures in the blood that help with clotting, among other functions), and introduces the resulting preparation back into the scalp.

"The science on this isn't totally worked out. We still don't completely understand the mechanism behind PRP, but growth factors contained in platelets can stimulate regeneration of hair follicles and other tissues as well," says Dr. Scott.

In addition, low-level LED laser lights have been found to be helpful in regrowing hair in some cases. It's likely that even more treatments will be developed in the near future.

When medical treatments fall short, women can also consider cosmetic options to make up for lost hair, such as wearing a wig. At the other end of the spectrum is hair transplantation, a surgical procedure that moves active follicles from the back of the scalp to areas where the hair is thinning. Once transplanted, the hair grows normally.

Hair transplantation is typically performed as an outpatient surgical procedure. In appropriate patients, it can be extremely successful, but it won't work for everyone, says Dr. Scott. One drawback is the expense: it can cost thousands of dollars and is not covered by insurance. The procedure also requires recovery time. And it may not be appropriate for women who have diffuse thinning across the whole scalp. It's more effective in treating smaller, more defined areas of balding.

Link:
Thinning hair in women: Why it happens and what helps - Harvard Health

A monitor at a hospital waiting room in Seoul plays a broadcast of President Yoon Suk-yeols address to the nation regarding health care reforms on April 1, 2024. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk-yeols address to the public last week regarding the medical school admissions quota expansion put many people on edge, even before he began speaking. The decision to go ahead with the speech was, reportedly, made late on the eve of the televised address after Yoon consulted a small group of his aides. Even the ruling party was not privy to the contents of the speech and knew only when the speech was going to be given. Yoons party, already concerned about the widespread talk of the public using this weeks midterm general elections as a referendum on the administration, was on tenterhooks, unable to focus on anything but the words the president was formulating. Nor could the public help but wonder what the president thought would be the best way to resolve the protracted conflict between the government and physicians over the 2000-person increase in medical school admissions. They also were intrigued to see if he would address the various issues surrounding Lee Jong-sup and Hwang Sang-moo, as well as high inflation prices. Many cautiously expected a forward-looking message from the president, as the day before the speech was to take place, he stated that he would be humbler and listen to even the smallest voices from the public. Yoons address, once televised, was a good reminder that the president struggles to be humble. Yoon spent more than half of the 51-minute speech emphasizing the need for the 2,000-person expansion in the medical school admissions quota while also condemning physicians. The speech reflected the presidents wish for the public to be informed in detail about how the expansion of the medical school admissions quota is being discussed, a presidential office official stated. After the speech, the presidential office was quick to emphasize that the key point of the speech was in the 15 or so words in which Yoon stated, If the medical community offers more reasonable and appropriate proposals, we are open to talks, but both the ruling and opposition parties agreed that the president remains as uncommunicative as ever. A feeling of self-righteousness dominated and overpowered the speech. After stating, Im not pushing for the reform because I dont know how its going to benefit or hurt me politically, Yoon went on to brag about policies such as the improvement of bilateral relations with Japan and the responses made during labor union strikes as ultimate success stories, when in reality, all such policies were met with strong criticism. Two days later, on Wednesday, a video was posted to the presidents official YouTube channel titled, Why We Need Reform: Walking Forward for the People and National Interest, which highlighted his past statements, such as I will always push forward for policies, even if they are unpopular, while an uplifting melody played in the background. This showcased his determination to go ahead with his my way or the highway approach, while not bowing down to criticism. For the first time since the administration and physicians started butting heads, Yoon met with the representative of medical interns and residents on Thursday, three days after he made his speech. While the dialogue went on for 140 minutes, the two figures parted ways without reaching any tangible compromises or conclusions. Theres a plaque on Yoons desk in the presidential office that reads, The buck stops here. A present from US President Joe Biden, its modeled after the sign that Harry Truman, the 33rd US president, had on his desk in the Oval Office during his presidency. In his book, Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents, political scientist Richard Neustadt, who served as an advisor to Truman, recounts a statement that Truman made in the spring of 1952, as he was preparing for his second presidential campaign, regarding Dwight Eisenhower, the former general who looked like hed come out of the presidential election victorious. Hell sit here [the presidents desk], and hell say, Do this! Do that! And nothing will happen. Poor Ike it wont be a bit like the Army. Hell find it very frustrating. Neustadt goes on to opine that the president does not obtain results by giving orders, and that presidential power is the power to persuade. Presidential power comes from persuading and mobilizing various stakeholders. If we look at the past two years of Yoons presidency through the lens of Neustadt, we can see that Yoon has consistently been lacking persuasiveness. This one-way channel of communication that hes adopted when governing seems to have opened up the way to the overall urge to send a message of rebuke to his administration. Will Yoon try to change after the elections on Wednesday? More importantly, can he?

By Lee Seung-jun, politics reporter

Excerpt from:
[Reporter's notebook] The public wants to teach Yoon a lesson will he learn it? - The Hankyoreh