Dr. Lister vs. Hand-washing Hesitancy

*Dr. Joseph Lister did, in fact, encounter resistance and hesitancy as he shared his findings with the world. His introduction of antiseptic technique resulted in a tremendous drop in the risk of dying from surgery, but he faced skepticism both about his technique and about the broader foundations of germ theory in general. His initial […]

HOUSE HUNTERS: Nursing Facility DreamHome Edition

*As a palliative care doctor, I often spend time working alongside families that are trying to navigate the minefield of facility-based care. Whether they are learning the rules and coverage options for short-term rehab or trying to figure out how to arrange long-term care at an assisted living facility or nursing home, our country’s options […]

A New Season…?

As still another season dawns in this blur of a year, it’s been wonderful to see our COVID case counts fall here and to watch some of our hospital COVID units being converted back to regular medical wards. While we also keep a wary eye on the numbers and advocate for patients and places around […]

Living Through Uncertainty

This year has thrown many of our lives into upheaval. While I’m still not good at living in limbo, I’m trying to learn from those who’ve gone through uncertainties I can only begin to imagine. Here are the first few frames of a comic on what foster care has taught me about living through limbo. […]

Medical Purgatory

As patients with COVID continue to fill emergency departments around the country, our ICU’s are increasingly filling with patients who are trapped in the hospital from complications of the virus. My latest illustrated Op-Ed for the LA Times highlights the plight of those trapped in medical purgatory. See the article HERE. Nathan A. Gray, MD.

The Pandemic Draws On

It’s been a busy year, so in one sweep, I’m going to catch my InkVessel site up to date on the art I’ve made in the last 6 months: First, amid the torrent of angst all of us were feeling about the early days of the outbreak, I produced this piece for the L.A. Times […]

Before the pandemic, U.S. healthcare already had a crisis.

Latest illustrated essay is here on Medium… Below are the first few frames. Click here to go to Medium and keep reading.

Palliative Care in the Time of COVID

“As we take stock of masks, gloves, and ventilators, we must also be ready to dig deep into our reserves of patience, communication, and compassion.” Nathan A. Gray, MD

The woman who changed how we die…

When it comes to courageous healthcare heroes, it’s hard to think of anyone quite like Dame Cicely Saunders – nurse, social worker, doctor, and an extraordinary spark in bringing rigorous compassion to medicine… I’m excited to share my comic on the life of Dame Saunders published with Annals of Internal Medicine just in time for […]

Drowning in a Flood of Cancer Debt

I had the honor of taking up a digital pen in the L.A. Times alongside my inspiring colleague Dr. Fumiko Chino (now a Radiation Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) to tell her story of how the “financial toxicity” of cancer treatments brought her own life to the brink of ruin. You can read […]