Ginny Brady
Working at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA is unpredictable but typically business as usual for pulmonary and critical care doctor Ginny Brady. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital’s level 1 trauma center is functioning more as a central point in Boston’s healthcare crisis, treating almost every patient in the ICU who needs life-saving care or support and trying hard to keep the virus at bay. Brady in particular has been tasked with taking care of whoever or whatever needs care — typically mechanical ventilation and other forms of life-saving support. “While folks outside the hospital have been working hard to flatten the curve by staying home, I’m really proud of the work we’ve done up here to stay ahead of the curve,” Brady tells GO. In addition to her usual and critical roles, Brady works as the director of critical care education and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, which has also been greatly affected by the pandemic. As classes are being forced online, Brady has developed educational materials and zoom lectures to train non-critical care doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners on the management of COVID-19 patients and general critical care. Her hope is that, on top of having the skills necessary, that students will pick up on her philosophy of practicing medicine as a means to help others — no matter what they may be going through. “The most rewarding part of my work is being able to take care of humans on the worst days of their lives,” she says. “When a family comes to the ICU, they are in crisis. I have the privilege of joining them on this treacherous and intense journey.” —GP
