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. Ana Luisa Leech, MD MS FAAHPM 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?
Dr. Liliana Diaz was one of my attendings as an intern and a great mentor who saw in me something others had not able to notice and she pointed me in the direction of hospice and palliative medicine. Even though she has long passed, I think of her fondly for introducing me to a burgeoning field in medicine and giving me the gift of caring for the sickest patients while honoring their wishes. Additionally, although I have never met him personally, I believe that Atul Gawande’s writing in the patient experience has shaped how I practice medicine because there is nothing like transparency and honesty when making difficult decisions.
What is the significance to you of being recognized as a “Emerging Leader” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
Being recognized for the work I am doing is a huge boost to my drive to continue the on the path I am on. I believe I teach a little medicine to my patients during goals of care conversations and a little humanity to the learners on my team during their rotation. This recognition means that others are watching and as such I need keep moving forward to care for the vulnerable population palliative doctors are entrusted to care for. This recognition also means that I have a lot more to accomplish and share with the world and that I can make a difference in the medical care we provide.
What is your aspiration for the evolution of hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I hope that palliative medicine will continue to grow and be more recognized as a valuable specialty at big academic centers, small rural hospitals and everything in between. I wish more exposure to this kind of work for medical students and trainees so myths are dispelled with knowledge and so patients can receive the best possible goal concordant care. I imagine a world where clear communication is standard and where we address patient’s deepest concerns while continuing to move modern medicine forward. I envision a time when access to hospice and palliative medicine is standard and expected so all the patients who want this kind of care have access to it.
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