Dr. Niran Al-Agba

The Orphans of Hahnemann University Hospital

This past summer, Hahnemann University Hospital—a teaching site for Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia—closed their doors. When Hahnemann closed, its’ residents were essentially “orphaned,” losing their jobs overnight. Residency refers to the post-graduate training period following medical school graduation compulsory for a physician to be licensed to practice medicine. After “matching” to an open residency position at a given teaching hospital, resident training begins across the entire nation on July 1st every year once a contract is signed with the employing organization.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-15T00:57:26+00:00October 28, 2019|Categories: Physician, Policy|Tags: Consolidation, Corporatization, Doctors in Training, Hahnemann, Hospitals, Medical Education, Northwest Family Medicine Residency, Residency|

Licensed to Live: An Insurance Company Tried to Destroy My Career with Dr. Niran Al-Agba

Disempowerment of Physicians. Defamation of Physicians. False Accusations against Physicians. Fight Back.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-15T01:17:59+00:00August 24, 2019|Categories: Physician, Practice|Tags: Defamation, Physician Autonomy, Physician Empowerment, Regence, TakeBackMedicine|

Physicians are Eagles Who Believe They are Chickens

There are 800,000 physicians in America and more than 65% believe the Maintenance of Certification process, known as MOC, has no clinical value for patients. For the first time in the history of our profession, physicians have a fighting chance to topple a Goliath-esque organization, the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:31:54+00:00April 19, 2019|Categories: Physician, Policy|Tags: ABMS, Anti-MOC, Hospitals, MOC, MOC Reform|

In Defense of Pediatricians… (And a Few Words of Advice for Doctors and Other Public Health Types)

In a world where opinion is shaped through social media, a public health strategy based on trying to “educate people” by shoving “facts” in their face when the facts are in dispute is not going to work very well. In reality, it may backfire and produce exactly the opposite result from the one you intended. And that is exactly what is happening here.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:38:28+00:00March 26, 2019|Categories: Patient, Physician|Tags: Anti-Vax, Pediatricians, Vaccinations|

When Doctors Need Our Help: Do No Harm, a Film

In the United States, 400 physicians commit suicide annually – an average of one per day. Physicians have the highest rate of suicide of any profession; almost double that of the general population. While physician suicide has reached epidemic proportions, the general public is relatively unaware of this tragic phenomenon. Robyn Simon has produced a documentary film, Do No Harm, to shed light on this taboo topic.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:40:19+00:00March 21, 2019|Categories: Physician, Practice|Tags: Burnout, Depression, Do no Harm, MCAT, Mental health, Physician Suicide|

The Death of Specialization: Predictions by George Orwell

A physician should be called a “physician.” A nurse practitioner should be identified as “nurse practitioner.” Please call a physician assistant, “physician assistant.” These are accurate titles, reflective of their specialized education, training, and expertise. They are all venerated professions which share a mutual goal of improving patient’s lives, yet the vocations are fundamentally different.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:36:48+00:00March 19, 2019|Categories: Equality, Physician|Tags: George Orwell, Physician, Provider|

If You Call Me a “Provider”, I Will Assume You are a Nazi

“Provider” was first utilized by The Third Reich, who embraced this moniker to degrade Jewish physicians as medical professionals. The historic root and use of the word “provider” deserves our attention and reflection because if we forget the tragic mistakes of history, we may be doomed to repeat them. While the more recent movement to disrespect the education and training of physicians was the brainchild of the federal government and corporatized medicine, this disdain for medical expertise has occurred before–to Jewish physicians living in Germany in 1937, before World War II.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:35:25+00:00February 20, 2019|Categories: Equality, Physician|Tags: Physician, Provider|

Being a Woman Physician: The Blank Wall of Social and Professional Antagonism #NWPD2019

Dr. Mary Edward Walker was a female physician who embodied “antagonism.” She is the only female recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in U.S. history, cited for valor as a surgeon on the Civil War battlefield. She was also an abolitionist, prisoner of war, suffragist, writer and speaker. Two years before her death, the Army revoked her award yet she refused to comply. Her life story is inspiring.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:42:29+00:00February 5, 2019|Categories: Equality, Physician|Tags: Female Physicians, Gender Bias, Gender Equality, National Women's Physician Day, NWPD, Women in Medicine|

Medical Debt Matters — Free Tuition might not be the Silver Bullet

Over the past three decades, medical school tuition has quadrupled. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates the cost to attend a public medical school is more than $240,000 and as much as $322,000 for four years at a private medical school – an amount which is more or less equivalent to the cost of a family home.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-30T23:58:01+00:00September 5, 2018|Categories: Physician, Policy|Tags: Free Market, Free Tuition, Health Policy, Medical school debt, Physician Shortage|

To Learn, Physicians Must Teach

I want to share information about a new program that can help Kitsap County buck the trend by bringing a whole crop of enthusiastic young physicians to our area. It’s called the Northwest Washington Family Medicine Residency Program.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-30T23:55:14+00:00August 21, 2018|Categories: Patient, Physician, Practice|Tags: Education, Health Policy, Hospitals, medical training, Physician Training, Residency|