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. L. Emily Cotter, MD MPH 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?
For years, I have been guided by humanitarian principles embodied by Dr. Paul Farmer. I remain inspired by his lifelong commitment to health equity and social justice, as well as his relentless identification of pathologies of power. I carry with me a shared passion for pragmatic solidarity, accompaniment, and commitment to identify and mitigate the structures that perpetuate disproportionate harm for many in our communities.
What is the significance to you of being recognized as a “Emerging Leader” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I am honored to be recognized as an “Emerging Leader” in the Hospice and Palliative Medicine community. I believe deeply in a vision of trauma-informed palliative care and am committed to trauma-informed leadership. I greatly appreciate that AAHPM and others in the national palliative care community share support for this mission.
What is your aspiration for the evolution of hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I envision a future where hospice and palliative medicine providers universally incorporate trauma-informed care principles in the care of our patients and communities; where hospice and palliative medicine teams and our greater healthcare institutions are led by those who embody trauma-informed leadership and promote workforce wellbeing; and that members of our HPM community continually speak out on behalf of the structures and policies that cause harm to our patients and healthcare workforce while advocating for health equity and social justice.
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.