Anthropologist Margaret Mead stated that “the first sign of civilization in ancient culture was a femur that had been broken and then healed. In the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. A healed femur is evidence that someone has tended the person through recovery.” We have been overrun by a pandemic, and we struggle to care for countless patients at the risk of our own lives. Faced with this emergency our profession is shaken by a wellspring of humanity. Is this moment an opportunity to rediscover what we all went into medicine for?
To address these and other important questions, in 2020 we proposed conversations with professionals fighting the pandemic on the front lines.
Can One Be Enriched by COVID-19?
June 6, 2020
Kristina Tzinevrakis, Physiotherapist | St-Mary’s Hospital Center, Montreal, Canada
Amidst the pandemic, Kristina volunteered to work with COVID-19 patients. She shares her experience, beginning from initial trepidation to finding herself enriched personally and professionally.
Kristina Tzinevrakis is a physiotherapist currently working at St-Mary’s Hospital Center, in Montreal Canada, in the emergency department and intensive care unit. She graduated from McGill University in 2013, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master degree in Science, applied in Physical Therapy. She has experience in all sectors of acute care, with further training in cancer rehabilitation and back care. She is passionate about the well-being of others, and believes that developing strong relationships with her colleagues and patients is the foundation of her work.
At the Pandemic Epicenter: A Report from New York City | May 23, 2020
Francesco Rotatori, MD | Chair of Cardiology, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, NY
“Our hospital had only 17 beds for intensive care. The city of New York asked us to have 70 available and we had only one intensive care doctor. We had to reinvent everything.” Hear how Dr. Rotatori and his hospital have faced the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Rotatori is the Head of the Cardiology Deparment at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), Staten Island. He is a skilled interventional cardiologist, board certified in cardiology, internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, nuclear cardiology and echocardiography. Dr. Rotatori graduated from Medical School of the University of Milan, Italy. He completed his internal medicine residency at Richmond University Medical Center where he also served as Chief Resident. He completed a Fellowship in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology at SUNY Downstate. He served as a Associated Chief of Cardiology at RUMC before being recently appointed Head of Cardiology at RUMC.
A Report from the Trenches | May 9, 2020
Amedeo Capetti, MD | Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy
Our meeting with Dr. Capetti is the first event of our COVID-19 Discussion Series. A doctor at the frontlines of Italy’s battle against coronavirus, Dr. Capetti wrote a moving letter about gratitude and human solidarity published in a leading Italian newspaper. The letter has also been widely circulated in English.
Dr. Capetti is the Head of Research and Development, Infectious Diseases First Division of the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, and a Professor of Human Physiology at the University's Nursing School. He is a technical consultant for the Holy See at the World Health Organization. He is married to Maria and a father of four. Two of his children are now physicians as well. He and Maria have 13 foster children, two still living with them.