“When I was a small kid, I always had my nose in a book and thought I’d be an author. Now, it’s as if my life is coming full circle because hospice and palliative medicine is so much about learning people’s stories to provide the best care possible. Learning about my patients is my favorite part of my work.”
“I initially chose emergency medicine because the idea of going to work every day and not knowing what would come through the door appealed to me. I got to be a ‘sleuther’ and try to figure out what was going on. Treating patients regardless of their ability to pay made the field seem noble.”
“The most poignant memories from my ER days are those that gave me a sense of place. In Utah, I saw world-class winter athletes with devastating injuries. In Seattle, there were patients at port from fishing or Alaska sightseeing expeditions. In Vermont, where ‘foraging gone awry’ isn’t uncommon, I treated a group that had foraged for ramps and inadvertently harvested hellebores they baked into a meal.”
“I started to think about changing my focus after taking a course about mastering serious-illness conversations. It underscored that the ER is not set up to foster such conversations, yet they were the most rewarding work I could be doing.”
I stress to those intent upon battling an incurable illness that death is not a failure.”
“An encounter with a patient who attempted suicide and could not be saved got me thinking more about end-of-life medicine. I drove home that night reflecting that I was the last person to speak with that patient. I wondered what I might have done to convey a sense of kindness and understanding.”
“Too many patients receive only days of hospice care when they could have had months. I stress to those intent upon battling an incurable illness that death is not a failure.”
“Often dying patients are more accepting of their diagnoses than their family members. Previous life experience, religion, and culture all play a part. Doctors try to be patient-led. We try to make clear we are there not to take anything away but to add to care.”
“I tell patients, ‘I’m your quality-of-life doctor.’ ”
“I advise people grappling with losing a loved one to follow that person’s lead and encourage opening up. In some cases, it might be possible to help that person leave a legacy, whether it’s things or stories.”
“I try to honor the patients I’ve seen by carrying forward things they’ve shared with me, things that were important to them. This is one way I’ve found to deal with the sadness.”
Notable Achievements
- After nearly two decades as an emergency physician, now practices and teaches hospice and palliative medicine at University of Vermont Medical Center
- M.D. from Columbia; residency at University of Utah; Seattle-area ERs 2011-16; Central Vermont Medical Center ER, 2016-25; lives with husband Stephen ’02, Th’03, and their two children in Jericho, Vermont
