about

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Hi. I'm Eric.

I'm an Internal Medicine physician. I live in San Diego, CA with my wife, toddler and dachshund.

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I care for many hundreds of patients a year. At best, I get to talk to them for a couple of minutes at a time. I created History of Present Illness to try to recapture what it is that makes the practice of medicine special: an exchange of stories between people. Authentic connections between doctor and patient are becoming rarer in our current fast-paced healthcare climate, where the focus is on ever-increasing efficiency and productivity. Often, the greatest reward comes from slowing down and taking some time to just listen.

 

I am grateful to the patients who have trusted me with their stories, many of which are highly personal. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed  hearing them.

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 - Eric Beam, MD

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* Why a cairn?

The cairn, a stack of rocks balanced atop one another, serves as a trail marker—an international symbol guiding travelers to their destination. It is laid by those who came before in order to show the way for whoever traverses the same path in the future. So, too, these stories might ease the weary journey of medical illness, providing a map and serving as a reminder that, despite the solitude of the trail, no one goes it alone.

© 2021 by Eric Beam, MD