I chose the UI Health Care Supportive and Palliative Care Fellowship as I understood from the interview that this was a place where I would not only gain the experience and clinical expertise to survive in the field of Palliative and Hospice Medicine but where I would learn to thrive. As a large academic center, the University of Iowa offers a rich and diverse experience where we have access to resources that simply do not exist in smaller programs. These resources, including my mentors, helped me succeed in a challenging and ever-evolving field and gave me the confidence to practice independently. I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in professional and personal growth and in developing their communication skills.  

My next steps are to practice a combination of outpatient family medicine with palliative care, likely as a hospice physician in the surrounding rural community. I will work mainly as an outpatient clinician for the first few years, working hard to build my patient panel, so I can eventually add a part-time hospice or palliative care role. I will also strive to incorporate palliative and hospice care concepts into how I treat patients with a terminal illness in the clinic every day! 

I am currently working as a Palliative Care physician for the VA in Honolulu, Hawaii. I built, and run, an inpatient palliative care consultation service at Tripler Army Medical Center as part of a joint venture with the VA.  

I chose the UI Health Care Supportive and Palliative Care fellowship because of its strong reputation for interdisciplinary training and collaboration. During my interview process it was clear how well-respected and valued the Palliative service was within the hospital system at-large. I appreciated the program’s emphasis on communication, ethical care, and patient-centered decision-making. It felt like (and ended up being!) a place where I would gain solid clinical skills but also grow in how I show up for patients and their loved ones during vulnerable moments. My training at Iowa continues to influence my practice today. I am so grateful for the foundation this program provided. 

I am currently practicing in Houston, Texas, where I serve as the Associate Medical Director for Geriatric and Palliative Care Associates. In this role, I manage inpatient palliative care consult services for our local community hospitals. My work also extends to providing comprehensive medical care at several skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, memory care units, personal care homes, and assisted living facilities across North Houston. Additionally, I serve as the Medical Director for several of these facilities and for Oasis Hospice, where I am dedicated to providing hospice care within the community. 

Reflecting on my time at University of Iowa Health Care, I remain deeply grateful to Dr. Hagiwara for the opportunity to join the program. I truly believe that I would not have developed my passion for palliative and hospice care if it were not for the guidance and mentorship of the entire faculty. I am particularly thankful for the incredible physician faculty, as well as the supportive nurses, social workers, and pharmacists who made such a lasting impact on my training.

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at UIHC stands out for its strong commitment to training well-rounded, compassionate clinicians. This is reflected in its graduates, including Dr. Wilde, Dr. Miller, Dr. Kirkpatrick, and Dr. Brock, whose patient centered approach to family meetings, exemplifies the program’s core values. The fellowship fosters a supportive learning environment with structured feedback, an engaged faculty, and hands-on experience for spearheading complex conversations. Its emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration, bringing together physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, and music therapists, creates a strong team presence unified by the notion of providing goal concordant, holistic patient care.