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Laura Vater, MD

Welcome!

Laura Vater, MD, MPH

I'm Laura Vater, an oncologist, writer, and speaker. I champion the dignity of patients and clinicians, and strive to keep healthcare human.

I'm so glad you're here.

Featured Essays

Intima Journal of Narrative Medicine

STAT News

How Physician Exhaustion Kills Compassion

Journal of Clinical Oncology

The Holiday Card

Writing

Keyboard

trees

Stethoscope

Tree

Pine tree

My goal is to make the field of medicine more human, for both patients and clinicians.

Learn more about my work and writing here.

Doctor and Patient

Connect with me online

Join my community of 200k+ with content
about keeping healthcare human

A reminder that being present with people and leading with our humanity are strengths, not weaknesses in this field.

Thanks for all you do. 🤍

A reminder that being present with people and leading with our humanity are strengths, not weaknesses in this field.

Thanks for all you do. 🤍

To help catalyze sleep reform at my fellowship program, I collected three pieces of data and sent them to my program leadership:

1. A log of every page and call I received during one week of home call (Friday 5 pm - Friday 7 am).
2. A one-page data sheet detailing the known harms of sleep deprivation.
3. Data from a poll of other hematology oncology fellowship programs across the US.

When the program leadership received this data, they were surprised by the volume of call and the degree of exhaustion. After internal discussion and deliberation, they agreed that change was needed, and they brought the issue to administration and continued to champion this cause over time, even after I graduated

Change takes time (especially when budgets and staffing are needed). We introduced this data, along with proposed solutions, in the spring of 2022, and it wasn’t until August of 2024 that these changes took effect.

I share this blueprint today with the hopes of empowering trainees who wish to advocate for sleep reform at their own programs and institutions.

What worked at your program?

#sleepreform #sleepreforminmedicine #residencytraining #fellowshiptraining

To help catalyze sleep reform at my fellowship program, I collected three pieces of data and sent them to my program leadership:

1. A log of every page and call I received during one week of home call (Friday 5 pm - Friday 7 am).
2. A one-page data sheet detailing the known harms of sleep deprivation.
3. Data from a poll of other hematology oncology fellowship programs across the US.

When the program leadership received this data, they were surprised by the volume of call and the degree of exhaustion. After internal discussion and deliberation, they agreed that change was needed, and they brought the issue to administration and continued to champion this cause over time, even after I graduated

Change takes time (especially when budgets and staffing are needed). We introduced this data, along with proposed solutions, in the spring of 2022, and it wasn’t until August of 2024 that these changes took effect.

I share this blueprint today with the hopes of empowering trainees who wish to advocate for sleep reform at their own programs and institutions.

What worked at your program?

#sleepreform #sleepreforminmedicine #residencytraining #fellowshiptraining

Sometimes what we need to hear most is that we’re doing a good job. Not that we look tired, seem stressed, or appear sick.

This may or may not be in reference to a coworker who repeatedly tells me I look tired, even when I respond, “this is just how my face looks” 🙃

Does this happen to you?

—
Text inspired by Stephanie Peltier

#womeninmedicine

Sometimes what we need to hear most is that we’re doing a good job. Not that we look tired, seem stressed, or appear sick.

This may or may not be in reference to a coworker who repeatedly tells me I look tired, even when I respond, “this is just how my face looks” 🙃

Does this happen to you?

—
Text inspired by Stephanie Peltier

#womeninmedicine

This is Part 1 of 3 of “How I did it” to try to move the needle on sleep loss at my program, because in medical training, it can feel impossible to advocate for yourself or know where to turn.

Here’s my story from fellowship and the exact wording (slide 5) of the first email I sent advocating for myself. Sharing this in hopes it will help someone else.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 coming soon in collaboration with @hippocratic.collective which will have specific tools to work towards change at your institutions.

Did you have a similar experience of sleep loss? Would love to hear your stories.

#medicaltraining #medlife #residencylife #meded

This is Part 1 of 3 of “How I did it” to try to move the needle on sleep loss at my program, because in medical training, it can feel impossible to advocate for yourself or know where to turn.

Here’s my story from fellowship and the exact wording (slide 5) of the first email I sent advocating for myself. Sharing this in hopes it will help someone else.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 coming soon in collaboration with @hippocratic.collective which will have specific tools to work towards change at your institutions.

Did you have a similar experience of sleep loss? Would love to hear your stories.

#medicaltraining #medlife #residencylife #meded

As a resident in training, I had the privilege of working with the former Surgeon General, Dr. Adams. I support his statement here. Our US Surgeon General leads public health and scientific communication in our country. Without hands on experience, “the ability to guide the nation’s health policy with authority is severely compromised.”

What are your thoughts on this?

As a resident in training, I had the privilege of working with the former Surgeon General, Dr. Adams. I support his statement here. Our US Surgeon General leads public health and scientific communication in our country. Without hands on experience, “the ability to guide the nation’s health policy with authority is severely compromised.”

What are your thoughts on this?

If you’re a resident who feels like you’re surviving on autopilot, if you’ve been taught that suffering is professionalism, if you’re holding shame for wanting to take a different path, I hope you know that you’re allowed to be a whole person. You’re allowed to want a life that fits you. And you’re allowed to choose.

I’m really hope you will read Surgeon on the Edge by @francesmeimd — out today! It names what so many residents experience in silence. The book helps us claim permission to be whole people again.

If you’re in training: what has helped you reclaim agency on your hardest days?

#residencylife #surgeonontheedge #residentlife #meded #healthcareworker

If you’re a resident who feels like you’re surviving on autopilot, if you’ve been taught that suffering is professionalism, if you’re holding shame for wanting to take a different path, I hope you know that you’re allowed to be a whole person. You’re allowed to want a life that fits you. And you’re allowed to choose.

I’m really hope you will read Surgeon on the Edge by @francesmeimd — out today! It names what so many residents experience in silence. The book helps us claim permission to be whole people again.

If you’re in training: what has helped you reclaim agency on your hardest days?

#residencylife #surgeonontheedge #residentlife #meded #healthcareworker

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