The PalliEM Podcast

In this episode we return for version 3.0 of the PalliEM Podcast. I am joined by Caroline Meehan, MD, and Alex Zirulnik, MD, MPH. They are the co-first authors and fellow collaborators in a recent study of the increasing numbers of emergency medicine physicians training in hospice and palliative medicine. We discuss the broader implications of this trend in both fields and reflect on our experiences in dual specialty practice. Article: https://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(25)00816-4/abstract Outtro music: Synesthesia by Alaeus Zirulnik A, Meehan C, Markwalter D, Gabbard J, Tilly A, Zimmerman P, Stafford J, Brooten J. Emergency Physicians and Hospice and Palliative Medicine: A Growing Trend in Fellowship Training. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2025 Dec;70(6):e498-e503. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.08.036. Epub 2025 Sep 1. PMID: 40902736; PMCID: PMC12768106.

Dr. Hoffman is a trauma surgeon in Asheville North Carolina, a hospice medical director, and a founding member of the Surgical Palliative Care Society. We discuss her unique path into the palliative care field and how she uses her skills in the trauma bay and the ICU to help her patients both survive devastating conditions as well helping patients and families transition through events which may be non-survivable, as well as conditions with outcomes which patients would ultimately find unacceptable if aggressive medical interventions were to be pursued. This interview was recorded in October 2023 and previously released.

Today I'm joined by Tom Sullivan, MD. Dr. Sullivan is an interventional radiologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who specializes in multiple methods for treating painful metastatic disease, in addition to his general interventional radiology practice. We discuss some of the techniques he uses to treat metastatic cancer pain, particularly for bony metastases, and patients who can benefit from these types of treatments. We also explore enjoyment and inspiration he finds in his work, allowing him to reduce the pain associated with metastatic cancer, and improve the quality of life of his patients. This podcast was previously released in November 2023

In this episode, I meet with Dr. Mariana Murea, MD, who is dual board-certified in both internal medicine and nephrology. As a clinical investigator, her research has focused on addressing gaps in the care of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) on hemodialysis with an emphasis on patient-centric care. While dialysis is not typically associated with palliative care, in today's podcast Dr. Murea explains how palliative care can be a requisite component of a holistic system of care for end-stage kidney disease. This episode was previously released in October 2023

A trailblazer in bringing palliative care into emergency medicine, Tammie Quest, MD, joins the PalliEM Podcast for our first-ever video podcast episode. She reflects on her career at the forefront of EM/palliative care integration and highlights necessary aspects of resident education that will help prepare future EM clinicians for the increasing needs for palliative care in the emergency department. This episode was previously released in January of 2023