Editor's Note, Volume 16 Issue 5

D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, FCFP, FRCPC Medical Director, JCCC and HealthPlexus.NET

In this issue of the Journal of Current Clinical Care, we turn our attention to the physician as a person: the practices that sustain us, the memories that shape us, and the clinical questions that fill our days.

D’Arcy Little offers an Introduction to Mindfulness for Physicians: A Practical Guide to Present-Moment Awareness in Clinical Practice, modelled on the Mindfulness Research Symposium and Retreat held at the University of Toronto in January 2026 with monastics from Plum Village, the community founded by Thich Nhat Hanh. The article explores breath awareness, body scanning, and the “90-second rule” for difficult emotions. It shows how routine moments such as handwashing or waiting for the EMR to load can become opportunities for restoration, and it reminds us that self-compassion is a professional responsibility rather than an indulgence.

Dr. Michael Gordon returns to Medical Narratives with Football Memories, a warm and witty reflection that travels from Brooklyn to his student years in Dundee, where he stitched scalps in the casualty department after Friday-night matches. He also describes how this summer’s international football tournament gave patients in his memory clinic, and their families, a shared subject to speak about with obvious joy.

That theme of memory continues with Dr. Michael Gordon in the Beyond Forgetfulness: Multistep Approach to Managing a Patient Referred for Cognitive Concerns webinar, which offers clinicians a practical, patient-centered approach to evaluating cognitive impairment in referred patients. It outlines key diagnostic steps—including cognitive screening, risk factor assessment, and appropriate investigations—while emphasizing clear communication with patients and families.

On the 3P: Pills, Pearls & Patients Podcast, Dr. Marina Malak discusses the Pathophysiology of Shingles, offering a clear, clinically focused review of how herpes zoster arises and why understanding the underlying mechanisms helps us recognize, explain, and manage this common and often painful condition in primary care.
Together, these contributions remind us that attentiveness, to ourselves, to our patients’ stories, and to the science behind our practice, is among the most valuable tools we bring to the clinic.

We hope you find this edition both informative and inspiring, and we look forward to your feedback, as always.