Meet Kathleen Beekman, MD, Medical Director of Infusion and Genetic Services, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
Tell us a little about yourself:
I grew up in Michigan, one of five kids. I went to medical school and did my residency at the University of Michigan and earned an Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I live with my husband, who is a hand surgeon, and our three children in an 1880s Victorian home that we restored.
How did you choose your specialty?
It came down to a combination of two things. The first is that with oncology you have the chance to build relationships with your patients and the second is that oncology patients have a level of complexity that I find challenging. Since my internship, I’ve always loved taking patient histories and hearing how they describe their symptoms. Knowing how their symptoms connect to the latest knowledge of the disease and treatment is key to helping them. There’s always something new to learn and ways to improve care and outcomes for patients. Continue reading “Leaders, Teachers, Healers”
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen are some of the most commonly used medications, with more than 30 billion doses taken annually in the US alone. Unfortunately, NSAIDs aren’t just widely used: they’re also widely abused, with nearly one out of seven users going over the daily limit, according to a January 2018 study from the Boston University School of Medicine.
