A journal on medicine

Written from inside medical school, Ankara.

Medicine,
examined.

Essays on the science, the practice and the philosophy of learning to be a doctor — and the books I read along the way.

Latest essay

2 October 2026

4 min read

Medical · Self Improvement

What Medical School Is Actually Teaching Me About Learning

It never formally taught me how to learn—but it forced me to learn how to learn.

Medical school taught me almost nothing about learning itself—or about how to study in medical school. That was something I had to figure out on my own.

Read the essay →

Three essays so far. New ones arrive about once a season.

Bookshelf

Books, and what stayed with me.

All 17 books →
Alireza Akafi in a white coat

About

I’m Alireza — a medical student who writes to find out what I actually understand.

Medicine is most of what I do, but I’ve always been drawn to technology as well: AI, automation, and the systems that make hard work more learnable. This site is where I document that — what I’m studying, building and thinking about along the way.