Savage.MD Blog

I wrote this poem April 26, 2020.  The green & gold elephant with its crown sits above my fireplace mantle. Small enough to fit in my palm, but weighty because of its metal base.  This token brings good fortune to our home. It reminds me of my Texas friend John.  I have known him since age 10.  He gave this as a parting gift before we came to Ohio two years ago. I wrote the poem as a part of a "poetry workshop" hosted by the House Staff Association at the Cleveland Clinic planned Dr. Abarna Ramanathan. Poetry is a "way to observe things around you that you take for granted," and I was asked to describe the meaning of the first thing that met my eye that day. I thought of the poem again this week when I got a wedding invitation from Dr. Ramanathan for November 2022 in New York City. She was one of my first friends in residency, and I am so happy for her. The poem describes another very dear friend named John who I first met in the fifth grade. Like me, he was...

Today ends Block 5 of fellowship. It's amazing to think I've already been in fellowship for five months. It's been a really great experience so far and I'm so proud to be in my program at Scripps. This week was especially busy. Early Saturday I attended the tail end of the AMA-CME meeting. We were supposed to have met in Orlando, FL, but the meeting became virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday afternoon the AMA had a really excellent forum on Health Equity. Saturday night I worked my fist moonlight shift as an attending at the VA San Diego. I still fondly remember going to the VA Dallas with my grandparents as a kid. My grandpa got all his care there and thought the world of his doctors. It really means a lot to me now to be a VA doctor, even if only part time. I worked with UCSD residents and had a great time as we cared for our patients. I look forward to working at the VA again next month. Sunday after taking a nap I continued working on my NIH grant appli...