The past two years have been tough on everyone, but medical professionals have carried a heavier load than most. From a lack of personal protective equipment in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic to overflowing emergency rooms and intensive care units to diagnosing and treating the myriad medical conditions caused by the coronavirus, it’s been a tough time to be a doctor.
Each April, we honor Richmond’s medical community with our annual Top Docs issue. The centerpiece is our list of nearly 500 top medical professionals, as selected by their peers. It’s an issue to hold onto throughout the year. If I have learned anything since March 2020, it’s never to take good health for granted — should I need a specialist for any reason, I want to be prepared.
Along with our 2022 Top Docs list, you’ll find a piece on Page 52 about the Randolph family, an accomplished multigenerational family of medical professionals whose story is an inspiration. We also look at some of the lessons health care providers have taken away from this unprecedented period. From the experiences these physicians shared with us on Page 58, it’s clear COVID-19 has made every aspect of practicing medicine more challenging and emotionally fraught.
Along with sadness and fear, anger seems to be a prevailing emotion of our age. On Page 56, Top Docs editor Tharon Giddens examines the potential health effects of anger and talks to medical professionals about the rage they have faced from patients who have lashed out at them during the past two years.
“Many physicians, nurses and other health care workers lost their lives to COVID-19 while caring for patients with COVID-19,” says Dr. Jonathan Foote, a gynecologic oncologist with Bon Secours Commonwealth Gynecologic Oncology. “However, there is now a large portion of the U.S. population who look down on health care workers, and in fact seem to think that we are not working in their best interest, which is against the Hippocratic oath that we all took in medical school.”
It’s always rewarding to work on this issue and to realize the breadth of medical expertise available in the Richmond region. It’s an honor to recognize the efforts of these professionals, especially in such trying times, and we’re lucky to have access to top-notch care.
