6. The Humanness of High Risk

Despite Dr. Karkowsky's extraordinary knowledge and expertise in the highly specialized and complex area of high risk obstetrics, she infuses her care with a high level of compassion and empathy, remaining cognizant of the complexity of her patients' lives outside of the medical sphere. These patients are often unexpectedly thrust into this world, having to learn a new language and sometimes needing to make very difficult decisions, neither choice being ideal. She is a master storywriter and captivating story teller. We talk about the barriers of a complicated healthcare system, the pitfalls of having too much compassion, her experiences of working as a doctor in Israel and how Rabbinical and medical authorities can clash and merge when it comes to the extraordinary lifecycle event of reproduction.   Dr. Karkowsky completed medical school at Mount Sinai, her residency at Harvard University Hospitals, followed by a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM). She now works as a high risk obstetrics specialist in New York City.     Chavi also lived in Tel Aviv with her family for several years, and worked at an ultra-Orthodox hospital in Northern Israel, experiences she loves to talk about.    Chavi has written for the Atlantic, Slate, the Washington Post, and other publications. "High Risk: Stories of Pregnancy, Birth, and the Unexpected" (Liveright/Norton 2020) is her first book, and is available everywhere that books are sold.    Chavi lives in NYC with her wonderful partner, Josh, and their four stir-crazy kids. She can be reached via her website, www.chavikar.com.   To continue the conversation, and learn more about similar topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.   Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie’s other favorites.   If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow: 1. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. 2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode. 3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.  Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.