Since 2016, fellows have participated in a four week rotational training on CESLC’s campus where this year’s participants both acknowledged the distinctive medical care on campus. “This particular site is very special,” said Dr. Lanzel, one of the two fellows from this year’s rotation. “The type of care that I’ve seen here has been heartwarming. Physicians here care deeply for their patients and their patients’ families. They are able to know them throughout the journey of independent living through hospice. It’s really nice to not have to leave your community if you don’t want to do so.”
The two fellows each spent a month shadowing our practitioners to develop a deep and practical understanding of the holistic approaches of physical, mental and spiritual palliative medicine and hospice care. “This partnership gives us an opportunity to expand our contribution in this field at the national level by training future experts in palliative care,” said CESLC’s Vice President of Medical Affairs and Medical Director Elisa Gil-Pires, MD, FACP, CMD.
Both fellows returned to their medical practices at National Institutes of Health with a deepened appreciation and understanding of palliative care to serve the needs and improve the quality of life for patients and residents. “This type of training helps to not only fulfill the science of medicine, but also the heart. And that is what I’d like to see across the whole spectrum of my career – a way to make medicine more compassionate,” said Lanzel.