False positives show need to adjust expectations for cancer screening tests - Washington Post

Published: November 01, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain

Several years ago, during an annual mammogram, my wife, who is in her 40s, was told a mass had been found in one of her breasts. Anxious and uncertain, she had a biopsy, and we braced for the worst. Read More 

Diwali at the White House - Washington Post

Published: November 01, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain

Thursday evening my teenage daughter asked me to help her review for an AP U.S. Government exam on the Bill of Rights. That she was studying the first amendment and the freedom of religion seemed fortuitous: the following morning I was to board an early morning flight from our home in Memphis, Tennessee, to Washington to celebrate the festival of Diwali at the White House with the president of the United States. Read More

Accepting death is difficult for patients and doctors, but it needs to be done - Washington Post

Published: October 18, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain

My 64-year-old patient with terminal cancer and less than six months to live wanted to go to Oregon. He was contemplating assisted suicide, which is legal there. “My life has been long and good,” he said. “I believe it is my right. I want the ability to say it’s too much, I can’t do it anymore. A person should have a dignified quality of life.” Read More

No easy cure for hospital errors / Significant gains seen in specific areas - Commercial Appeal

Fight for patient safety enlists everyone, from doctors to housekeepers
Published: October 16, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain

Some years ago, a nurse paged me at 3 a.m. from the hospital because a patient of mine had spiked a high fever. Suspecting an infection, I called in antibiotics. A few hours later, the frantic nurse called to say my patient had turned red and was wheezing, likely from an allergic reaction. Read More

Waging Peace - Commericial Appeal

Gandhi-King Conference to examine revival of nonviolent approach to social change
Published: October 15, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain

Since my childhood, I have believed that both petty and global conflicts can be resolved through the power of nonviolence.

In school, when a kid bullied me, my parents told me, "Never hit back." Since I was puny -- 90 pounds in ninth grade -- this strategy was my best option. My strategy worked. A burly, unruly kid named Tom befriended me and prevented others from dumping my books in the hallway. I reciprocated by helping him with his homework during study halls. Read More

LETTERS TO THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE Following the Jain Tradition - New York Times

Published: September 29, 2011
By Dr. Manoj Jain

Regarding Aidan Foster-Carter’s “To Catch a Roach” (Meanwhile, Sept. 27): Last Saturday night, coming home from a party, we found a roach, a spider and an ant in our kitchen. Gently, I got the roach to climb on to the bristle part of the broom; my wife captured the spider in a cup, and our 12-year-old son helped scoot the ant onto a sheet of paper. Then we escorted them outside to our lawn. Read More

Knowledge is weapon in fight against silent killers - Commercial Appeal

Published: September 17, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain

The first question my friends asked last week after we watched the new movie "Contagion" was: "Can this really happen?"
I should know. I am an infectious disease doctor. Read More