Does discussion of end-of-life issue have to devolve into questions about physician-assisted suicide or so-called death panels? Joining host Dr. Martin Samuels is Dr. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcok Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. They discuss why this area of medicine is so important, how to better instruct medical students in the field, and the role of compassion in end-of-life care.