AAHPM reached out to the 2024 Emerging Leaders to gain insight into what motivated them to pursue leadership positions and what they find more fulfilling in their experiences. Eric Goodlev, MD has been recognized as one of the exceptional individuals chosen as a 2024 AAHPM Emerging Leader in Hospice and Palliative Care.
Who has most influenced your work and how have they shaped your contributions?
I feel blessed to have so many mentors who have challenged, inspired, and guided me in my leadership journey to date. I fear leaving some people out! Here are a few individuals who have been particularly impactful to my growth: Dr. Joe Rotella, who has always encouraged me to “zoom out” when contextualizing complex issues and competing priorities; Dr. Michael Levy, who helped me realize that my hospice and palliative care practice is, indeed, my version of a ministry; Dr. Donna Zhukovsky, who has inspired me to always be open to new journeys; Dr. Rachelle Bernacki, who taught me that “one is none” and to never “go it alone” when working to manage change; and my wife, Lauren, who keeps me positive in the face of uncertainty and adversity, and who, through her (actual) ministry as a clergyperson, is my partner in making this world a better place.
What is the significance to you of being recognized as a “Emerging Leader” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I am humbled to be included among a list of so many inspiring, forward-thinking, and innovative young leaders in our field. The future of palliative care is bright. There are times when it feels that work towards equity in serious illness care requires pushing a rock against a strong gravitational force, up the proverbial hill. For me, this recognition inspires me to keep pushing forward toward my north star – a future where all people enjoy equitable access to the best possible palliative care. As one of my mentors noted, it is helpful to reframe the “rock up the hill” imagery by recognizing that with each journey up and down the slope, we carve a groove to make each subsequent trip just a little bit easier. This recognition inspires me to keep pushing.
What is your aspiration for the evolution of hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I believe wholeheartedly that our field is uniquely positioned to transform the face of American healthcare, because we simultaneously focus on the “zoomed-in” details of what matters most to our patients, while also keeping our pulse on the “zoomed out” aspects of American healthcare that facilitate or impede our patients as they try to achieve these goals. We’re uniquely posed to shape national discussions of quality, policy, and access to medical care, since serious illness exposes the entrenched inequities in access to medical care for vulnerable individuals. It is my hope that together, we can continue to lead American healthcare towards a future where all patients with serious illness enjoy equitable access to the best possible medical care. If we keep the patient, family, and caregivers at the center of all that we do, I’m confident that we will succeed.
Learn more about the AAHPM 2024 Emerging Leaders in Hospice and Palliative Care and view a full list of all current and past Emerging Leaders.