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For good reason, pregnancy tests are a standard part of screening for certain clinical trials. Participants with positive results are excluded from participating to protect them and their developing fetuses from potential harm. (Aoife Brennan, 9/26)

Two years ago, during the worst of the Covid pandemic, my colleagues and I told ourselves what now seems like a naïve story. In the wake of this virus, we would develop a robust system of follow-up care for the patients who had been sickest in our hospital, many of whom were from medically underserved communities. (Daniela J. Lamas, 9/26)

For almost two years, answering readers’ COVID-19 questions was part of my job as the writer of this magazine’s daily newsletter. We discussed what activities were safe in the early days of the pandemic, when and where to slap on a mask, what to make of new coronavirus variants, and more. So when my partner came down with a fever one night this summer, I thought it was my time to shine. (Caroline Mimbs Nyce, 9/23)

On my first day of medical school, it rained. I brought a three-hole notebook and an umbrella with all the ribs intact and felt prepared. Forty years later, on her first day of medical school, a person I know well (having given birth to her) downloaded study guides, academic assignments, and onboarding apps, and checked the inner workings of her iPad the way you might check under the hood of your Formula One car before the flag drops. (Elissa Ely, 9/24)

I am a proud undocumented medical student attending the UCLA School of Medicine — a reality that still seems like a dream. It is a reality because of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA. However, the DACA program and its beneficiaries remain in jeopardy as the policy could be ended by a court ruling any day now. (Yadira Bribiesca, 9/24)