Guest: Steven Pantilat

Guest’s guest: Gretchen Schwarze

What does it take to build not just a career, but an entire field of medicine? In this new

episode, we sit down with a true pioneer, Dr. Steven Pantilat, the founder of the Division

of Palliative Medicine at UCSF.

Dr. Pantilat takes us back to the early days of palliative care, a time before it even had a

name, when he and a small cohort of innovators "sort of made it up" through the

groundbreaking Project on Death in America (PDIA). He reveals how this experience of

finding his "tribe" was a revelation that shaped his lifelong commitment to mentorship.

We explore his philosophy that transformed him from a mentee into the "Uber mentor,"

as described by his guest and mentee, Dr. Gretchen Schwarze. Dr. Pantilat shares his

core principles for powerful mentorship, including the crucial difference between being

"nice" and being "kind," why the best mentors care about the whole person, and how to

give feedback that truly helps people grow.

Join us for a deeply human look at the art of mentorship, the birth of the palliative care

movement, and the wisdom that comes from understanding that our time, and our tribe,

are everything.

Guest: Cardinale Smith

Guest’s guest: Melissa Mazor

In a compelling episode, Dr. Cardi Smith, Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering and a leader in oncology and palliative care, shared her journey, from her mother’s unfulfilled dream of becoming a physician to her own rise in medicine. Driven by a legacy of resilience, she emphasized leadership as a tool for systemic change, not personal power.

As one of few palliative care physicians in executive roles, she highlighted the "minority tax", which is the burden of representing marginalized identities in leadership. Yet, her palliative care skills, like empathy and communication, helped her navigate these challenges. Dr. Smith’s leadership philosophy is rooted in servant leadership which includes elevating others, creating opportunities, and measuring success by collective progress rather than individual accolades.

After being joined by mentee Dr. Melissa Mazur, the discussion shifted to the urgent need to move beyond pilot programs in health equity, advocating for sustainable solutions like patient navigation, which has proven effective for decades but remains underfunded. To achieve this, there is an urgent need for implementation science and measurable community engagement. 

In closing, the guests emphasized that equity work cannot rely on temporary grants or goodwill. It requires embedding anti-racist practices into healthcare’s infrastructure, a challenge that demands courage from leaders and institutions alike.

Guest: Rachelle Bernacki

Guest’s guest: Stephanie Harman

Summary: In this engaging podcast episode, Dr. Toby Campbell interviews Dr. Rachelle Bernacki, a palliative care physician and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, alongside guest Dr. Stephanie Harman. Dr. Bernacki shares her journey into palliative care and geriatrics, mentorship, and systemic change. She reflects on the development and scaling of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide, a tool now used globally, despite initial rejections and challenges in publishing the foundational research.

The interview shifts to a discussion about Dr. Bernacki’s transition to geriatric surgery and her collaboration with Dr. Zara Cooper to improve care for older surgical patients. This 16-million-dollar grant from the West Health Foundation focuses on practical changes like reducing harmful medications and preventing delirium among surgical patients. Dr. Bernacki emphasized the importance of persistence and curiosity to learn about a new clinical area and drive meaningful change.

Dr. Harman adds deeper insights into Dr. Bernacki’s leadership and their shared commitment to fostering supportive spaces in medicine. The episode closes with the ongoing national and global impact of Dr. Bernacki’s work, from New Zealand’s nationwide adoption of the Serious Illness Care Program to her current efforts in transforming hospital care for older adults.

Guest: Carey Candrian

Guest’s Guest: Linda Kotsaftis

Dr. Carey Candrian, a communications scientist at the University of Colorado, discusses her mission to improve healthcare for LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those facing serious illness and end-of-life care.  She is a storyteller, in words and pictures and film.  She shares a poignant story about same sex couple whose marriage was disregarded by the healthcare system, leading to poor care and disenfranchised grief. The story serves as a source of inspiration for Dr. Candrian’s work on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in healthcare, including stigma, silence, and the lack of inclusive environments.  Dr. Candrian discusses how she uses the power of storytelling and creative media, such as her Eye to Eye photo project and documentary Just Us, to humanize LGBTQ+ individuals and foster empathy.

We welcome her guest, Linda Kotsaftis, a Colorado-based journalist who has worked with Dr. Candrian on several projects. Linda shares her personal experience of witnessing Dr. Candrian's profound impact on the community, particularly older LGBTQ+ women who had previously felt invisible or unheard.  We hear about Dr. Candrian's ability to connect with people and bring about change through her powerful ability to use narrative stories as a means of delivering a message.  Linda has seen emotional transformations take place for those who interact with Dr. Candrian and she reveals how Dr. Candrian's work has raised awareness and created a space for honest conversation and mutual support, helping people see the humanity in each other's stories.

Guest: Gretchen Schwarze

Guest’s guest: Amy Zelenski

Episode Title: Better Conversations, Better Care

Summary 

This conversation explores the challenges and strategies involved in helping clinicians, particularly surgeons, improve their communication and decision-making practices to provide better patient-centered care. Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, a vascular surgeon and medical ethicist, and Dr. Amy Zelenski, an education researcher, discuss how their collaborative work aims to shift clinicians' mindsets and behaviors around informed consent, prognostic communication, and shared decision-making. They share how surgeons often struggle to move beyond a "fix it" mentality to meaningful improvements in patients' lives. Dr. Schwarze advocates reframing the surgeon's role as assessing whether an operation can help the patient achieve their goals, rather than just fixing a problem. With background in theater, Dr. Zelenski discusses the power of improv-based strategies like the "two-minute rant" and other techniques in cultivating empathy and empowering clinicians to respond rather than react to what is happening in their surrounding environment.

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Guest: Stephanie Harman

Guest's guest: Shireen Heidari

In this episode, Dr. Stephanie Harman, a palliative care physician and leader at Stanford, takes us through her remarkable leadership journey. From founding Stanford’s Palliative Care clinical program to establishing a leadership development program for women in medicine, Dr. Harman shares invaluable insights into the challenges and triumphs of building successful programs for the next generation. Dr. Harman shares how she draws on her expertise and experience as a palliative care provider to drive her leadership initiatives, emphasizing a process-oriented approach over outcomes and placing a strong focus on cultivating communication skills in leadership programs. 

A central theme of the conversation is mentorship—Dr. Harman shares how she was guided by leaders like Dr. Bob Arnold and how she now pays it forward by supporting and advocating for junior faculty and empowering them to thrive and succeed in their careers. Dr. Shireen Heidari, the program director for the Stanford University Hospice and Palliative Fellowship, joins the conversation to discuss the role of narrative medicine, emphasizing how writing can help process the emotional intensity of palliative care. Together, they explore the importance of communication, the lessons learned from working with seriously ill patients, and the need for ongoing mentorship to cultivate purposeful leadership in palliative care.

Guest: Arif Kamal Guest’s Guest: Christopher Jones Dr. Arif Kamal, an oncologist, palliative care physician and Chief Patient Officer at the American Cancer Society (ACS).  Kamal reflects on his work in oncology and palliative care, emphasizing compassion in cancer care, the role AI assistive intelligence will play in enhancing the role of humans in healthcare, and the importance of a supportive community to help you weather career setbacks. Dr. Kamal discusses how palliative care principles, like understanding a patient’s needs and values, can be integrated into routine oncology care and how this could become easier as the field of medicine incorporates the assistive intelligence aspects of AI that can assist with generating differential diagnoses and treatment considerations.  He advocates for the role of compassionate care such as considering first, who is our patient before determining what the treatment approach should be where healthcare providers prioritize understanding who the patient is before focusing on medical conditions or treatments.

We discuss the future impact of AI in enhancing decision-making in oncology and he calls for a shift in how care providers are incentivized, promoting compassion as an essential component of high-quality healthcare. Dr. Kamal discusses the role of mentors in his life, career setbacks, and personal experiences that shaped his path, highlighting resilience and the importance of finding supportive communities. We welcome his guest, Dr. Christopher Jones, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Palliative Medicine and the clinical vice chair for Duke Palliative Care.  They discuss operationalizing palliative care interventions, the human side of medicine, the challenges of burnout and the importance of creating a balance between professional responsibilities and personal well-being.

Guest: Debra Lotstein

Guest’s Guest: Patty Everett

Dr. Debra Lotstein, a pediatric palliative care physician and leader at UCLA reflects on her journey into pediatric palliative care, sharing how an early experience as a resident shaped her understanding of end-of-life care.  She shares a defining moment in her career when she realized that focusing solely on advanced, life saving medical interventions can overlooks what truly matters to a patient or family.  We discuss the emotional and cognitive challenges of working with seriously ill and dying children.  She tells how she “reads the room”, builds trust, and helps families navigate uncertainty.  She reminds us that pediatric palliative care is a team sport where members bring unique skills to the bedside but also support each other through tough cases.  Dr. Lotstein’s deep sense of purpose and commitment to her patients and families is evident and led her to advocate at the policy level locally and nationally to improving palliative care systems of care for children.  Her reflections offer insight into the emotional depth, ethical complexities, and profound rewards of working in pediatric palliative care.

Dr. Debra Lotstein is joined by Patty Everett, the mother of Ryan, a young man with severe disabilities. Their conversation delves into the emotional and logistical challenges of caring for a child with complex medical needs and how palliative care provides critical support. Patty recounts how Dr. Lotstein guided her through many of the most difficult decisions of her life regarding carin for Ryan, breaking down the process step by step in a way that felt manageable and compassionate. We discuss the role of concurrent hospice care, which allowed Ryan to receive both standard medical treatment and palliative support simultaneously. Beyond the personal aspects of their work together, the episode highlights their shared commitment to policy advocacy, including testifying at the California State House to a continued palliative care access for young adults transitioning out of pediatric care.  We can see how relationships forged in difficult circumstances can lead to connection and action that may help shape the future of palliative care medicine.