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. Laura Dingfield, MD MSEd 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?
I have been most influenced by my incredible mentors at Penn Medicine, in particular Drs. Ilene Rosen and Lisa Bellini. They are both accomplished medical educators who have encouraged me to think expansively and creatively about opportunities for educational innovation in hospice and palliative medicine. I have also been honored to work with a tremendous team of educators on the Mid-Career Fellowship, who have all influenced my contributions: Elizabeth Lindenberger, Mollie Biewald, Jackie Shameklis, Kathleen Doyle, Ricky Leiter, Maria Dans, Jon Mullin, Shannon Devlin, Andre Cipta, Annette Nijjar, and the late Karen Blackstone. Finally, I am very grateful to Diane Meier for her support and advocacy of the Mid-Career Fellowship pilot.
What is the significance to you of being recognized as a “Emerging Leader” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I am proud and humbled to be recognized as an “Emerging Leader in hospice and palliative medicine. Our field is full of talented and inspiring leaders, and I am excited to see what innovations they bring to the practice of hospice and palliative medicine. As an educator, I am also very proud to be recognized as a leader, which I believe highlights the importance that hospice and palliative medicine places on education and workforce development.
What is your aspiration for the evolution of hospice and Palliative Medicine?
I hope that our field continues to lead innovation in specialty education, opening up new avenues for physicians to enter the field throughout their careers. The field of hospice and palliative medicine has been a trailblazer in implementing innovative training models, and I hope to see this work continue to grow in the years ahead. It is crucial for the expansion of our workforce and to ensure that patients and families facing serious illness have access to hospice and palliative medicine specialists.
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.