Ep 10: Transforming Death in America
with Guests Steven Pantilat, MD, and Gretchen Schwarze , MD
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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.
The episode is about the art of mentorship, the birth of a movement, and the wisdom that comes from understanding that our time, and our tribe, are everything.
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