Palliative Care

Palliative Care Committee

Who We Are

This committee provides resources and guidance to members and the board of directors in regards to the development of palliative care competence relevant to emergency physicians across all levels of experience.

Leadership

Margaret Putman, DO FAAEM
Chair

Bruce R. Gutierrez, DO
Vice Chair

Tom Scaletta, MD MAAEM FAAEM
Board Liaison

Erica Pollnow
Staff Liaison

Our Projects

Speak to Someone about Hospice and Palliative Medicine Training

Are you considering a career transition to hospice or palliative care? The AAEM Palliative Care Committee would like to help! We are creating a mentor network to connect those in hospice or palliative practice with EM docs considering a change. If you are interested in speaking with someone to learn more about potential careers and how to get there, please complete the form below and we’ll have a mentor reach out to you.

Submit Request

COVID-19 Palliative Care Conversation Resources

Vital Talk – Trains clinicians in effective communication methods
- COVID-specific
Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) – Provides tools, training and technical assistance for all clinicians caring for people with serious illness
- COVID-specific
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Association – Shared Decision-Making Tool (COVID-specific)
California Health Care Foundation
Honoring Choices. Pacific Northwest – With links to archived webinars. COVID-specific

Other Resources

Upcoming Events

ED Embedded Palliative Care

Date: Thursday, October 2, 2025
Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm CT
Location: Virtual via Zoom

Join us for ED Embedded Palliative Care, a webinar on practical strategies for integrating palliative care into the emergency department.

Learn More/Register

Watch our Pathways to Palliative Care: Career Opportunities for EM Physicians webinar.

Statements

Recommendations for the Navigation of Moral Dilemmas during the COVID Pandemic
February 22, 2021
Emergency Physicians are at potential risk for moral conflict and burnout when trying to accommodate the many challenges for caring for seriously ill patients in the ED. The patient care needs and what the physician “feels is right” have become more apparent with the large volume of patients requiring treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. There […]

Common Sense Articles

CPR is Not Resuscitation by Tara Shapiro, DO FAAEM, March/April 2023
End of Life in the Emergency Department by Maggie Putman, DO FAAEM, Jessica Fleischer-Black, MD FAAEM, and Bruce Gutierrez, MD, January/February 2023
Oxygen is for the Weak by Robyn Hitchcock, MD FAAEM, July/August 2022
My Journey from ER to Palliative Care by Alexa Gale, MD FAAEM, May/June 2022
A View from the Middle of My Mid-Career Fellowship by Jessica Fleischer-Black, MD FAAEM, May/June 2021
Hospital Associated Disability: Is Hospital Admission Really the Safest Disposition for Our Elderly Patients? by Diana Huynh, MD and Austin J. Causey, MD, May/June 2021
Agnes S. (1918-2020): Great Grandma by Mary Jane Brown, MD FAAEM, March/April 2021