Why did you decide to work in palliative care? Palliative care allows me to care for patients the way I have always wanted to – by advocating for the patient and ensuring their values remain at the focal point of all care decisions. I count it an immense privilege to enter into some of the … Read more

Why did you decide to work in palliative care? I chose to work in palliative are because this area of practice felt like a natural extension of my background in nursing and allows me to stay true to my value of providing care that focuses on the person first and the disease second. I have worked … Read more

Why did you decide to work in palliative care? In 2002 I opted mid-stream to shift from general IM/critical care to geriatrics and my new practice partner was coincidentally assisting with the development of an in-patient PC program.  I found myself cross-covering for her and the anchor for the PC service, a nurse practitioner named … Read more

Why did you choose UNC for fellowship?  Immediately after my UNC interviews, I knew I would rank the program first. The faculty were so welcoming, the fellows had nothing but good things to say, and I was confident that my niche interest (correctional hospice/palliative care) would be supported. Having now met everyone in person and … Read more

Why did you choose UNC for fellowship? The awesome people I met during my interview, flexibility to pursue interests during fellowship year, robust hospice experience What do you like most about living in the Triangle so far? The things to do and food to eat! Exploring biking trails, farmer’s markets, and new restaurants What are … Read more

Drs. Jared Lowe and Laura Hanson from the UNC Hospice & Palliative Care Program joined host Jean Bolduc of the Weekend Watercooler for a discussion of hospice and palliative care services.  This 40-minute radio show on 97.9 FM WCHL was broadcast live on June 4th, and is available as a podcast as well.  Their conversation … Read more

Integrating Specialty Palliative Care to Prepare, Improve Care, and Reduce Suffering in Cystic Fibrosis, or “InSPIRe:CF,” is a multicenter clinical trial of specialty palliative care for adults with cystic fibrosis. By embedding a palliative care specialist into the adult cystic fibrosis clinic, we hope to improve outcomes like overall quality of life, symptom burden, and … Read more

Q & A with Elisabeth Dellon, MD, MPH – Medical Director Children’s Supportive Care Team Why did you decide to work in palliative care? I went to medical school because I loved science and hoped to help advance science in ways to improve health care. I quickly learned that I was drawn to the stories … Read more

Q & A with Laura Patel, MD – Chief Medical Officer of Transitions LifeCare Why did you decide to work in palliative care? When I first began in my internal medicine training, I found myself frustrated by the way our flawed systems repeatedly failed my patients. I was drawn to geriatrics, and later to hospice … Read more

Q & A with Laura C. Hanson – UNC Palliative Care Program Medical Director Why did you decide to work in palliative care? After training in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine, it was clear to me that I was drawn to “whole person” medicine for people facing serious illness.  Caring for older patients, I found … Read more