The Psychology of Stupidity! Examined

Last week, in the Amsterdam Schipol Airport, I purchased The Psychology of Stupidity by Jean-Francois Marmion and read it from start to finish on my flight home. Yes, it was that engaging!

Stupidity is defined by words or actions driven by cognitive bias and lazy thinking. Lazy thought processes are characterized by oversimplification, black/white framing, sweeping generalizations and a lack of overall awareness. This is worse in the post-truth area, where facts matter little and emotions are primary drivers of action.  Social media is a huge amplifier of stupidity.

This book had to be written!

Intelligent people can do and say stupid things, no one is immune to stupidity. To think otherwise would be foolish.

Destination Kuwait: 2nd Annual Infection Prevention Conference

As I type I am in Kuwait City, at the 2nd Annual Kuwait Infection Prevention and Control Conference, where I had the great honor and pleasure to give three lectures and participate in a round table discussion.

I met amazing new colleagues, gained a better appreciation of the rich culture in the Middle East and tried some delicious foods. Images are below.

Next stop, the USA.

As the New Year Launches.....

 

As the New Year lunches I decided to re-visit the blog, albeit briefly. 

The Golden Age of blogging is well past, attention spans are short, interests in blogs is diminished. However, my blog is not dead, simply dormant for unspecified periods of time. 

For more up to date commentary, much of it centered around my role of Editor in Chief of Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology, check out my Twitter handle @gonzalobearman.

My website is revamped and is accessible at www.drgonzalobearman.com. 

Last, for those intrigued about my role as a drummer in the rock cover band, Vagabond Dandies, follow the link.

Happy New Year!

XIII Jornadas Infectológicas de Invierno-Sociedad de Infectología de Córdoba

It is a huge pleasure to be back in Argentina, for an infectious diseases medical conference. High quality science and perspectives in the Spanish language.

Excelente.

The Organ Thieves- The Dark History of the First Cardiac Transplant in the Segregated South

 

The dark history of The Medical College of Virginia (now VCU School of Medicine) is hiding in plain sight, in the form of this well written, deeply thoughtful book, The Organ Thieves, by Chip Jones.

The book covers not only the first heart transplant in the segregated south, wherein the surgical team failed to obtain informed consent from the family of a black man (who was declared brain dead), but also the impact of the case on the legal definition of death. 

The author also summarizes the history of MCV, including the legacy of the segregated Saint Philip's Hospital and of grave robbing (from black cemeteries) for the supply of medical school cadavers. The remains of these unfortunate individuals ended up in a well adjacent to the Egyptian Building, which was discovered in a 1994 excavation.

Kudos to Mr. Jones, for this brilliant book and for not glossing over the history of MCV-VCU. Despite the many positive accomplishments at my home institution, its history is best understood with a truthful and comprehensive narrative.

Congratulations to Dr. Richard Wenzel- 2022 MCV Foundation Eugene P. Trani Award Recipient

Huge congratulations to Dr. Richard Wenzel for receiving the MCV Foundation Eugene P. Trani Award for excellence in service, details here.

Dr. Wenzel is a colleague, mentor, role model and friend. It was a huge honor to be included in the special video to celebrate his award.

Propinquity: The Influencer

Propinquity- or the state of physical proximity which increases interpersonal interaction. Something much needed in this day of Zoom-meeting-for everything.

Recently the VCU ID Division expanded to its headquarters placing 95% of the entire team (faculty, fellows, staff, Pharm D, OPAT team, nurse practitioner) in the same building, on overlapping floors. With a new conference room, meeting spaces, couches, coffee tables and reading lamps, team interaction soared. Visit to my office increased more than ever. Collaboration and sense of community is surging.

Physical proximity is a major influencer of connectivity, community and (shared) behavior, something which is neatly explored in the book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change.

Sadly, most of us are blind to the impact of physical space and physical triggers on our behavior.