Writing

The Work.

Essays on surgical care, training, communication, and culture — examining how systems, identity, inequities, and belonging shape the experience of care.

Heather Logghe, MD, standing in a garden

Start Here

A pink water lily open among lily pads on still water

What the Lotus Holds

— The Listening Surgeon (Substack), October 13, 2026

The essay behind the lotus on this site. A meditation on transformation, presence, and what it means to stay rooted while reaching toward light. Tracing a path from a dairy farm in the Midwest to the close of surgical training, it asks what the lotus has come to hold — not just resilience, but the possibility of creating something meaningful from what was never meant to be easy.

A mosaic of hundreds of surgeons’ profile photos with the hashtag #ILookLikeASurgeon across the center

The Evolving Surgeon Image

— AMA Journal of Ethics, May 2018

Co-authored with Tyler Rouse, MD, Alec Beekley, MD, and Rajesh Aggarwal, MD, PhD. Traces the historical roots of surgeon stereotypes and how movements like #ILookLikeASurgeon and #NYerORCoverChallenge are reshaping the image of surgery — challenging the cultural forces that have long defined who a surgeon is allowed to be.

Heather speaking at a podium, the San Francisco skyline behind her

On co-founding TIME’S UP Healthcare and the imperative for equity in medicine. Drawing on the legacy of Dr. Frances Conley, this piece traces the arc from survival to courage to collective movement — and makes the case that residents, with the most to gain and the longest careers ahead, are essential voices in changing the culture of healthcare for the next generation.

Heather with her two children on a stone wall in the woods

Another Voice: Buffalo’s Resident Physicians Deserve Affordable Medical Care for Their Families

— The Buffalo News, September 11, 2024 · also on The Listening Surgeon (Substack)

Written during a four-day strike by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), this piece makes the case for fair compensation and healthcare coverage for resident physicians — and the patients who depend on them. A personal account of why the decision to strike came down to family, fairness, and the future of care in Buffalo.

Writing on physician mental health and the culture of medicine is also gathered, with resources, on Mental Health in Medicine.

Family & Hometown

Not everything I write is about surgery. This one is about where I come from.

John and Jill Logghe standing between two horses in a pasture, wearing cowboy hats

John & Jill Logghe — 2025 Rustic Lore Days Grand Marshals

— Written for the Glenwood City Rustic Lore Days Committee, 2025

A profile I wrote in 2025 honoring my parents, John and Jill Logghe, when they were selected as Grand Marshals of Glenwood City’s Rustic Lore Days. Their story spans farming, family, entrepreneurship, and decades of involvement in the community they have always called home.

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