Exquisite Moments of Sorrow and Grace

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Reading these stories brought me right back to Bellevue's ER the feelings and the sounds the sights and smells. Weinberg has a gift for weaving a tapestry of patient tales while pulling on our heartstrings. </span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)> --</span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Julie Holland MD and author</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)> Weekends at Bellevue Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>(Random House)</em></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Kenneth Weinberg born into a family of physicians and humanitarian relatives passionate about politics literature humor and art developed a unique blend of interests. His education and career took shape during the tumultuous '60s and '70s first as he pursued undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison earning a degree in Television and Film Production and then working in that field for four years. However having grown up with a father and grandfather as doctors and a mother as an artist he was compelled to channel his creativity into his longstanding interest in mind/body medicine and decided to become a physician. </span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>        Amid the social upheaval on college campuses his passionate activism negatively affected his grades as an undergraduate; nevertheless determined to follow this course he and his youngest brother chose to pursue their medical education in Mexico viewing this opportunity as a path for their future.</span></p><p>Having been accepted back in the United States to do a residency in Internal Medicine at LA County-USC Medical Center Weinberg returned to New York City for a Fellowship in Psychoneuroimmunology at the Manhattan VA. Regrettably a study he had begun which involved treating AIDS patients with acupuncture (in 1984) was quashed. This setback led him to embark on a remarkable 32-year career in emergency medicine beginning at Bellevue Hospital.</p><p>        During his tenure at Bellevue Weinberg's writing career took off as he delved into ethical dilemmas Munchausen's Syndrome and the harrowing yet rewarding encounters he played a pivotal role in while treating patients in the ER. His activism and humanitarian background fueled his advocacy for serious healthcare reform while his creative impulses led him to participate in The Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons.</p><p>        Weinberg's career trajectory encompassed various settings including house calls urgent care and over the past ten years as a medical cannabis practitioner. These diverse experiences have shaped his evolving career and contributed to his unique perspective on healthcare and literature. The humility and <em>Borscht Belt</em> sense of humor Weinberg brings to his writing is both infectious and curative.</p>