Death is central to the meaning and value of human life as experienced by individuals and by communities. While death does not give meaning to life, it does provide a backdrop against which life is lived. Acting on behalf of society, the clinical professions bear critical responsibilities for caring for those who are dying and bereaved. However, over-reliance on professionals as a means of distancing ourselves from death and grief can diminish the fullness and richness of living. Individuals and communities have the capacity to respond to the ultimate problem of death in a creative manner that can reflect and advance values of human work, dignity and enduring connection. Clinical professionals can lead by setting standards for excellence and providing care that is not only competent but unabashedly loving.

These issues will be explored by Ira Byock, M.D., director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and author of Dying Well and The Four Things That Matter Most.

Dr. Byock has been involved in hospice and palliative care since 1978. At that time, he helped found a hospice-home-care program for the indigent population served by the university hospital and county clinics of Fresno, California. He is a past president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. During the 1990s, he was a co-founder and principal investigator for the Missoula Demonstration Project, a community-based organization in Montana dedicated to research about and transformation of the end-of-life experience. Dr. Byock has authored numerous articles, and his first book, Dying Well, has become a standard in the field. His most recent book, The Four Things That Matter Most, is used widely as a counseling tool by palliative care and hospice programs, as well as within pastoral care.

Following the talk, there will be a reception in the Hoyt Gallery.

Organized by Pamela Schaff (Pediatrics and Keck Educational Affairs), Erin Quinn (Family Medicine and Keck Admissions) and Hilary Schor (English and Law). Co-sponsored by the Keck School of Medicine’s Program in Medical Humanities, Arts and Ethics and the USC Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics.