Rhode Island Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, has ordered an emergency suspension of a physician's license after investigators determined he deliberately exposed clinic staff and patients to COVID-19 and presented a danger to the public, according to The Providence Journal. 

A group of Indiana physician organizations, including many of the state's largest medical associations and specialty societies, established the Indiana Physician Coalition Jan. 14. The alliance aims to better educate lawmakers and the public on the level of training required to be a physician, and distinguish their role from that of advanced practitioners. 

Nearly 40 percent of Americans said they still feel unsafe visiting a physician's office during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published Jan. 13 from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

Simone Gold, MD, a California physician and outspoken critic of the COVID-19 vaccine, was among those who stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, according to The Washington Post. 

Many pregnant physicians are opting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite a lack of clinical trial data, reports Medpage Today.

Nearly one quarter of U.S. physicians report online attacks or harassment, according to the first known study to document physician experiences with online harassment. The research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine Jan. 4. 

The Medical Board of California has released guidance for licensed physicians on COVID-19 vaccine distribution, noting that they are subject to discipline if they don't comply with the phase structure in federal and state guidelines.

The pharmacist accused of purposefully spoiling 570 doses of COVID-19 vaccine at Grafton, Wis.-based Aurora Medical Center did so because he didn't think they were safe, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. 

Ben Danielson, MD, resigned as the medical director of one of Seattle Children's clinics because of institutional racism at the hospital, he said Dec. 31, according to the Seattle Times.

An Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist who stands accused of intentionally tampering with 570 doses of COVID-19 vaccine was arrested Thursday in Wisconsin. 

An employee at Grafton, Wis.-based Aurora Medical Center has been fired after purposefully removing 57 COVID-19 vaccine vials containing more than 500 doses from refrigeration, CBS 58 reported Dec. 30. 

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill this week to immediately permit reciprocity in licenses, registrations and certifications for Canadian healthcare professionals in Michigan.

A mindfulness program reduced healthcare professionals' burnout by 27 percent, according to a recent study published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine. 

As private equity firms acquire medical groups, their patients may notice a new piece of paperwork pushed their way — a form for binding arbitration, in which patients waive their rights to a jury trial in the event of medical malpractice, Bloomberg reports. 

A Black female physician has died of COVID-19 about two weeks after claiming racism affected the care she received at an Indiana hospital, reports The New York Times. 

The American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity released a white paper and dashboard tool meant to help healthcare systems improve health equity.

Heroes don’t always wear capes. In 2020, the world recognized the heroes that walk among us - the ones we see on the bus going to work and in the grocery story buying food and supplies for their family. These heroes worked selflessly in 2020 to make sure those who needed help in their hour of need were taken care during these most frightening and uncertain times. They are our Healthcare Heroes.

Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health and Morehouse School of Medicine are partnering for a 10-year, $100 million partnership to develop and train more Black physicians, they said Dec. 17.

The Berggruen Prize Jury selected Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, as the recipient of its 2020 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, a distinction that comes with a $1 million award. 

Joseph Varon, MD, chief of staff at Houston-based United Memorial Medical Center,hasn't had a day off since March, the Washington Post reported Dec. 12.