Chair's Corner

Dear Palliative Medicine Section Members,

As we move into a new year, I continue to be amazed by the steady accomplishments of our section members and the increasing visibility of emergency medicine–based palliative care across clinical, educational, and scholarly domains. The collaboration of many emergency physicians interested in palliative care is increasingly relevant in the realities of ED crowding, workforce strain, aging populations, and the ethical complexity of modern acute care.

Our members continue to actively shape this space. We are seeing ED-initiated serious illness communication curricula, deeper collaboration with EMS and inpatient partners, and a growing body of literature that asks not only whether palliative care belongs in the emergency department, but how it can be delivered with fidelity, efficiency, and compassion.

I continue to be impressed with the breadth of this section. We represent academic centers and community hospitals, dual-trained physicians and primary palliative generalists, early-career members exploring this path and seasoned clinicians refining it.   Thank you for the work you do—often unseen, frequently emotionally demanding, and deeply meaningful.

Justin Brooten, MD, FACEP
Chair, ACEP Palliative Medicine Section