Paul Nordmann
Dr. Nitin J. Anand
Critical care medicine, Missouri Baptist Medical Center
On his wishes for the future of health care: “I hope we find a way that we can equitably care for all of the patients within our community. There’s still a high proportion of patients in the ICU who may end up here due to socioeconomic reasons. Some patients can’t afford their medication, their insulin; they may not have the resources to get drug counseling or alcohol counseling or psychiatric help. I hope we’re able to eventually provide care for everyone—not just those who can afford it.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. David Tan
Emergency medicine, Washington University Physicians, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
On how the COVID-19 pandemic affected his job: “Where to start? About every aspect. It doesn’t look like it did 10 weeks ago. All the way from what we wear in the emergency department, the amount of personal protective equipment that we wear every day, the uncertainty that it has introduced. Something that’s unique about COVID-19 is that we are beginning to realize that it’s a great imitator of many other diseases, so people may not have the classic fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Sometimes, people will just have a headache and a rash. Now, every patient that we see, we have to think, Could this be COVID or COVID-related?”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Andrea Sample
Obstetrics and Gynecology, SSM Health Medical Group–OB/GYN
On delivering babies during a pandemic: “With my hospital having some of the largest numbers of affected patients in the metro area, SSM DePaul has shown teamwork and resolve in getting our community through the crisis. They’ve done a great job in continuing to provide calm and welcoming environments for our patients. It’s scary when a [pregnant] patient doesn’t know what to expect or if they will be able to have that support person. What’s kind of unique about being an OB/GYN is that when it’s scary for the hospital and the staff as a whole, we’re able to provide some peace and joy. Here at DePaul, every time a baby is born, they play a lullaby over the PA system. It’s a little ray of sunshine in the time of COVID-19.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. J. William Campbell
Infectious disease, Medical Specialists of St. Luke’s Hospital
On being an infectious disease specialist during the pandemic: “My phone and emails are going off about every five minutes since COVID hit. It’s been nuts. It’s remarkable to think that we’re seeing a new disease—I mean, the disease only started last November. It’s such a brand-new disease, with a brand-new pathogen rapidly spreading around the world, and we’re learning more about the disease daily. What’s truly remarkable about this is that with the modern world, in which somebody can get on an airplane and arrive anywhere in the world within two days, things can spread in electric fashion. This has been an extraordinary event with devastating consequences. I can’t think of anything like this in my career except for when AIDS hit, in the 1980s.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Rosa Suarez-Solar
Pediatrics/hospital medicine, Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital
On the bond with young patients: “The kids that are in the nursery, usually premature babies, they’re with us from months to years. They’re our kids. You see all of their milestones. You see when they eat their first thing by mouth, a big accomplishment. For many of our kids, we are their family. They see us every single day; they don’t see their parents every single day.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Wm. Maurice Redden
Psychiatry, SLUCare Physician group
On how the pandemic changed the way in which he helps geriatric patients: “My long-term patients like to see a friendly face and hear a voice that helps calm them down. Trying to get them to set up Zoom can be difficult on my part—I feel like I am not as computer-savvy as I thought when I’m telling them how to set things up. Once we get things working, though, we are able to have long conversations, which they really appreciate. I found that a lot of patients, especially ones who have to travel far to come into the city, actually prefer Zoom.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Rachel C. Orscheln
Pediatric infectious disease, Washington University Physicians, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
On how the pandemic has made medical professionals unify: “We’re operating in uncharted territory with this novel virus. I’ve seen people come together on a national level to try to craft guidance for how to manage children with COVID-19. There has been an immense amount of collaboration in the community, looking at different sectors, from schools to public health institutions to childcare, trying to craft guidelines and recommendations for how to best care for the kids.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Sameer M. Kirtane
Internal medicine, Mercy Virtual Care Center
On the future of telemedicine: “We have the power to serve a lot of people. We use data analysis to anticipate when a patient may become ill and provide patients with medications to treat their specific conditions in advance. One of the most frustrating parts is that we’re not able to reach out to all the people that we really feel like we can benefit. And I think right now we’re focusing on the sickest of the sick, the folks who are in the hospitals, the most. But I think the potential to reach and benefit so many people is there. I really hope that people are seeing the value of telehealth, that we can really expand this to a lot of people, especially those who have a lot of difficulty leaving their homes, making it to doctors’ appointments, or can’t safely do so.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Rama Suresh
Medical Oncology and Hematology, Washington University Physicians, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
Her advice for young doctors hoping to pursue oncology: “The most important thing is to realize that a cancer diagnosis affects people at a very significant emotional level. When I speak to patients, I need to explain things to them and empower them to be in charge of their situation. I’m there to give them the knowledge to navigate through this big diagnosis and help them understand the different treatment options; there are a lot of different treatment options available these days compared to before. The first thing is to give them hope grounded in reality and be there for them, help them out, not just with the cancer diagnosis and treatment part of it. This diagnosis affects them emotionally, socially, financially. Hold their hand for the journey.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. William G. Powderly
Infectious disease, Washington University Physicians
On whether the COVID-19 pandemic surprised him: “If you would have asked me a year ago, ‘What is your worst fear? What keeps you awake at night?’ it would have been a new virus that humans had not seen before for which we had no prior immunity and which spread rapidly. That would be the thing that would have kept me awake: Would we be ready for it? Will we be prepared for it? So in one sense, it’s not a surprise, but it’s always a surprise when you talk about something that might happen and it does happen. We’ve learned some hard lessons in the last few months. One of them is the importance of public health and how really important it is to continue to invest in public health, even when you don’t have a problem, because you never know when you will.”
Paul Nordmann
Dr. Katherine R. Forrester
Pediatric emergency medicine, SLUCare Physician Group
On how motherhood changed her job forever: “[The job’s emotional toll] is hard. It didn’t used to be as hard as it is now. I have a child now. That makes it 10 times worse. Now, when I see someone her age—she’s about 2—I picture my own child. I thought I would be good at separating the two, and I am most of the time. But when you see those really bad things, it’s hard to step back and clear your head, to not think about my daughter when I am treating someone who is really sick. With all of the training I did, being a mom has taught me a lot more in a different way.”
