May 26, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s 4:56am and I haven’t yet received the students’ presentation. This is the fourth year we’ve been organizing the H3SD San Diego’s Heat and Human Health Summit, and we have a meeting with the San Diego Foundation today to secure funding for our meeting. Our meeting is at 4pm. It’s 5K that we ask for, and it’s really just to feed everyone. The entire day is a huge day of networking and moving the climate work forward locally and nationally. Its’ a great deal for everyone, as it brings out network closer together and it’s volunteer driven.

I had asked the student leaders who receive stipends and generous mentoring, to update the slide deck that I need to do the presentation. I can do the slide deck myself very quickly likely in an hour. But I’m giving them some pressure to get their act together and be coordinated to deliver me some kind of slide deck. I already have the medical student who will be co-presenting with me. She’s a senior medical student and her job is honestly just to show up. The premedical student leaders have already been working together for a while, and the pressure is somewhat on. It’s make believe pressure, because $5K is not a lot of money for the physicians who are organizing it. I can easily donate that amount and we did in previous years, and I donate about the same in the student stipends. These students are paid, albeit very nominal stipends. But the entire point is that everyone has a role and a task in planning the H3SD summit and indeed in combatting climate change. I’m trying to teach them to get things done and to hustle. I’m trying to teach them responsibility, and what it is like to work for a cause.

I’m really really curious to see if they can get their act together. They’ve had some miscommunications in the entire group twice now in terms of scheduling. The meeting dates for the last two coordinating meetings were not the dates that I had asked for. I showed up and we were able to get things done, but I know in their group – they are not quite coordinated. It’s hard to work in groups, but that’s the entire point. I’m trying to get them to build professional climate and health connections, and give them real-world challenges. There is no playbook in this monumental planetary code. But what I try to do is to create mini-deadlines with the different projects that we need to get done, and they either make the deadline or not. They need to learn that getting things done, even imperfectly is better than a polished project. The most important thing is to show up, and any slide deck they send me will be great.

I’m really curious if they can get their act together? I haven’t received the slide deck yet and it’s 5:08 am. LOL. What they receive in kind beyond the stipends and opportunities they have been given is enormous. I think some of my calm that I haven’t received the slide deck is that $5K isn’t a lot of money. I can afford to do it without the funding. I don’t honestly even need the San Diego Foundation. It’s a situation where we all need each other and this network.

My ability to help coordinate our large network of physicians and students, is that I fundamentally know the value of my own time and skills. The going rate for premed mentoring is $500 an hour. That’s what I could charge students. I do this mentoring without any pay to select students who commit to doing climate and health work. But they only get mentoring, if they try. So I hope they try to get some sort of slide deck to me. LOL.

It’s 5:11am and instead of doing their slide deck for them. I’m going to get a head start on my charts this morning, as I have morning clinic. I’m going to send a few H3SD emails out. I’ll do everything such that I’ll get myself home right after morning clinic by maybe 1245 to check to see if they student group will send their slide deck to me in time. If they don’t, then I’ll put together something quickly between 1-3pm and make the meeting at 4pm – no problem. I like that they are feeling this pressure. Because it’s a true planetary code and I need to get the physicians and students together and coordinated in San Diego. I know that is what I need to do, and we’ve done it for four years now.

Otherwise, I’m proud to show you my daughter’s picture. She is not yet graduated but it’s the APIDA (which stands for Asian Pacific Islander Desai American) affinity group stole for graduation. They received it on Saturday during a very nice medium sized gathering on Saturday. She looks very elegant and capable. I know my kid has her act together. She gets things done. Which is why she’s going to the school that she is going to. She does her own projects and pursuing her own passions. I’m super proud of her.

Wishing an virtual-blogger good luck to the students who are likely stressing out right now! LOL. They are going into medicine and will be in far more stressful situations, so I don’t feel guilty. They’ll appreciate the lessons they are learning right now. I know that in my heart. We are trying to save millions of lives by doing climate and health work, and they are part of the solution. And mentoring them, and teaching them, and stressing them out – is part of my job. No matter what, these students will do great. But I enjoy seeing them stressed out a little bit. LOL. I’ve been working since the age of 8 and still maintain a busy clinical practice while doing a tremendous amount of climate and health organizing, so I feel no guilt in asking them to do this important task. Because I’m part of their team, and if they can’t get it done – I will do it this afternoon. But I believe in them! Wish them luck LOL.