Rocky Vista University

Food Insecurity and Vision Loss: A Call for Integrated Preventive Care

The ophthalmic exam revealed proliferative diabetic retinopathy, but the diagnosis alone didn’t capture the depth of Mrs. A.’s story. A 58-year-old woman with longstanding diabetes who had never received a retinal screening. She learned about the free eye clinic through a friend...

A Hospital Bed in My Living Room

There is a hospital bed in my living room. I hate it, yet all it carries is love. Everyday it grows taller as I seem to shrink. I sit beside it, trying to hold on, trying to make light, casting away the shadows that are so eagerly waiting to strike.

Manner & Cause?

As a future forensic pathologist and former autopsy technician, I created this piece to highlight the often unseen, macabre side of medicine—a side that few outside this world ever truly experience. This painting is a deeply personal reflection, a way for me to process the multit...

Eosinophilic Esophagitis as the Only Clinical Symptom in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report

Eosinophilic esophagitis is defined as the presentation of greater than or equal to 15 eosinophils per high-power field on light microscopy after a biopsy. It is a TH2 antigen-mediated response. 1 Typical patient presentation of symptoms is dysphagia, emesis, abdominal pain, regu...

Elbow Plica: A Case of Advanced Progression

<b>Introduction</b>: Symptomatic elbow plica is a considerably rare condition with an etiology and prevalence not completely understood. Misinterpretation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as normal findings resulted in the progression of symptoms. In this case report, we obser...

Right Lower Quadrant

I’ve always been drawn to portraiture, specifically the challenge of capturing structure, expression, and identity in a single frame. For years, I focused on faces to better understand people. But since starting medical school, I’ve shifted my focus inward. Medical illustration h...

Early-Life Stress as a Determinant of Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Narrative Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains a major public health concern in the United States, with rising prevalence and a large population at risk for disease progression. Although T2DM is traditionally associated with adult lifestyle factors such as obesity, diet, and physical in...

Cowboy Medicine

I grew up where boots met dirt, When the roosters crowed it was time to work. Until one day there was no porchlight, Just crickets chirping in the still of night.

Exploring the Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Prostate Cancer Incidence: A Comprehensive Systematic Literature Review

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of male cancer-related mortality in the United States, with an estimated 299,010 new cases and 35,250 deaths expected in 2024. This systematic literature review aims to explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and prostate...