Reflecting on the past year as we begin a new one, I am grateful. Don’t get me wrong—there has been so much to knock me down over the last several months: personal loss, the seemingly endless roller coaster ride that sometimes describes our work, and remaining global and national conflict, to name a few. These are still disruptive times. But to balance out the things that weigh on us, I wanted to highlight a few things that I am grateful for to carry the gratitude we feel at the holidays into the new year.
Connections: In the global sense of the word “family,” I am grateful for my blood family and chosen family. Sharing experiences as mundane as driving together or wonderous as discovering new corners of this world together, I am reminded that I am not alone. I am reminded that someone always has my back. I am reminded that someone cares whether I get home tonight.
I have traveled to local SHM chapters and laughed, with mirth, sharing experiences such as axe throwing with the Minnesota chapter, a glass of wine and friendship with the Maryland chapter, and delightful beignets at the Southern Hospital Medicine Conference. I have enjoyed lovely sunsets and learned more about leadership against the breathtaking backdrop of the Pacific at Rancho Palos Verdes in California, mingling with today’s and tomorrow’s leaders of our specialty at SHM Leadership Academy. I enjoyed watching the tango in Buenos Aires with international hospitalists, as well as friends of our specialty, from Argentina, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and even Russia—where science and shared learning prevailed, friendship was nurtured, and we all bonded over our shared humanity as well as a love of (and intrigue in) hospital medicine.
I am grateful for SHM’s monthly virtual “Prez Room,” where like-minded hospitalists pause and take time to muse over today’s challenges and tomorrow’s solutions with colleagues from across the country and the globe. Every month, I wonder who has traveled the farthest: From Spain? Argentina? China? Japan?
Every day, I am also grateful for the team I serve with at my home base. My work family, who give their best and go the extra mile, not because it is easy, but because that is the calling of hospital medicine. These are the types of connections we foster and embrace at SHM—from Chapters to Special Interest Groups to in-person meetings like SHM Converge. No matter what it is about hospital medicine that drives your passion, we have a place for you.
Life: I know I am borderline cliché here, but I have to say it. I am grateful for life. We are not too far away from living through a pandemic that took so much life. It is not an exaggeration that we all lost at least one person we know. As you read this, there are corners of the globe where life is being lost on a daily basis. If we stand on the side of humanity, then we moan this ongoing loss of life and simultaneously, are thankful that we are still here … in this space and at this time.
By extension, I am grateful for health. It is so easy to take waking up for granted. Our work as hospitalists means we face loss, pain, and depravity almost daily. We serve and perpetuate hope for the many lives we encounter, particularly those in the hospital bed before us. We are able to do what we do because we are here (alive) and because we are healthy enough to do the work that we do.
Disruptors: I remain grateful for all of you who have refused to embrace the status quo and continue to work to solve our big and small problems in innovative ways. SHM is a haven for disruptors of all kinds. Months through this presidency, I am so grateful for this opportunity, and it remains the experience of a lifetime. Connecting with hospitalists (and those interested in our field) who are disrupting nationally and internationally and working to realize initiatives like SHM’s Global and Rural Health Foundation are, for me, a dream come true. SHM launched the Global and Rural Health Foundation in service of its mission to promote high-value care and optimal outcomes for acutely ill patients. The Foundation offers small travel and equipment grants to hospital-based clinicians and practice administrators involved in this work. Hospitalists are working to improve the care of people in the U.S. and around the world. Our specialty has called us to help one patient at a time, but also to improve health systems so that we can contribute in big and small ways to helping thousands at a time. SHM is a partner in this work, seeking to support those whose calling has taken them to resource-limited settings. Applications are open through February 15, and awardees will be acknowledged at SHM Converge 2025. Scan the QR code at the end for more information about the grants and to apply.
As I reflect on this past year, despite the disruptive times, I am deeply grateful. I am also reminded of the article in The Hospitalist by our colleague Dr. Leif Hass, “Gratitude is Good for Us.” His ways to find more gratitude at work have helped me find gratitude, even when it is elusive. As a reminder, they are:
- Appreciate all that is going right
- Slow down for just a few seconds
- Say thanks like you mean it
- See medicine as sacred work
- Prescribe it!
I am grateful for the life and health that has allowed me to make meaningful connections this year. I am grateful for the amazing disruptors that I have met. I am grateful for SHM and am really excited about the Global and Rural Health Foundation, our annual reunion at SHM Converge in Las Vegas, and meeting you at upcoming Chapter meetings, in the “Prez Room,” and in more places.
Looking at the year ahead, I am reminded of the words of Max Ehrmann, who penned the famous poem, “Desiderata”: “With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.” May we carry these words with us as we begin 2025 and continue to feed off the collective energy of our community to make connections and innovate, ultimately helping the patients we care for and making our community stronger. Happy New Year!
Dr. Kisuule
Dr. Kisuule is director of the division of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore and president of SHM.