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Anna Astashchanka, MD
Anna Astashchanka attended the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed her Internal Medicine residency at UC San Diego. She is currently a Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine fellow at UC San Diego. Outside of work, she enjoys writing fiction. “When had medicine became more about doing things to people rather than for people? It reminded me of a poem I read as a college student that I ended up finding again during fellowship - End of Days by Marge Piercy. One verse reads, 'I want someone who loves me there, not a doctor with forty patients and his morality to keep me sort of, kind of alive or sort of undead. Why are we more rational and kinder to our pets than with ourselves or our parents? Death is not the worst thing; denying it can be.'” -
Julia Bu, MD
Julia Bu earned an MD from Case Western Reserve
University and completed a Neurology residency at UC San
Diego, where she was a chief resident. She is currently a
fellow in Vascular Neurology at UC San Diego. Her hobbies
include marathon running and kickboxing. “I aim to modify
the adage ‘Time is brain’, and propose the addendum ‘Time
is brain, but outside that window a whole person and
community still remain’. Though we have made significant
advancements in the acute treatment of stroke, I want to
dedicate my career to equitable and meaningful care for
patients both inside and outside the acute therapy window
as a palliative care trained vascular neurologist.” -
Lakshmi Kirkire, MD
Lakshmi Kirkire completed her medical training at the
University of Chicago and is currently an Emergency Medicine
resident at Johns Hopkins. “As a medical student, I had always
thought that palliative care was hospice care, reserved only for
patients at the end of their disease course. As I am now
nearing the end of my training, I've learned that palliative care
physicians play a key role in every step of patient care, from
patient advocacy and helping patients understand their
diagnoses, to symptom management and advanced care
planning, all the way up to goals of care and hospice. I've
found that this spectrum of practice has a large role to play in
Emergency Medicine.” -
Megan Lau, MD
Megan Lau is a graduate of the UC San Diego School of
Medicine and is currently an Internal Medicine resident at UC
San Diego. Outside of work, she is a member of a Spanish
podcast club. “During residency, I have had the privilege of
caring for patients in all stages of life with diverse backgrounds
and a variety of medical conditions. Amidst that variety, my
interactions with patients facing end-of-life decisions have
been the most impactful. This has reinforced my desire to be a
part of a field that provides personalized, patient-centered
care to individuals and their families.” -
Vivian Okonta, DO, MPH
Vivian Okonta earned her DO from Western University of
Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the
Pacific and an MPH from USC. She is now a Family
Medicine resident at UC Irvine and has an interest in
narrative medicine. “Hospice and Palliative Medicine
encompasses social, psychological, and spiritual well-being
for each patient, all of which influence overall physical
health and quality of life. According to a report published
by the World Health Organization in 2020, less than 15%
of those in need of Hospice and Palliative Care actually
receive it. I look forward to a career in which I can be part
of the solution to this area of need.” -
Matthew Schoen, MD
Matthew Schoen attended Stanford’s School of Medicine
and is currently an Emergency Medicine resident at
Stanford. Outside of work, he has run multiple marathons.
“My personal and professional journeys have encouraged
me to engage with suffering and define my role as someone
who helps others face uncertainty. I have found a home
within the field of hospice and palliative care. I am inspired
to keep this work at the heart of my career, as I continue to
follow my passions for medical education and providing
comfort in crisis.” -
Nicholas Tom, MD
Nicholas Tom graduated from UC Davis’s School of Medicine
and is completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Kaiser
Permanente Oakland. He practices multiple types of martial
arts, including karate and Wing Chun. “I have found my
calling in Palliative Medicine, caring for patients whose
medical complexity is matched by their social, emotional, and
spiritual needs. The relationships I have formed with these
patients and their care teams, and learning about their
stories and values, have shaped the way I practice medicine
and communicate with others. In my career, I hope to further
explore disparities in access to end-of-life care and develop
care models which help to narrow this gap.” -
Julia Wilkins, MD
Julia Wilkins completed her medical education at New York
Medical College and is currently a Family Medicine resident at
UC San Diego. “My greatest joy as a physician comes from
sharing life's most important moments with patients and
their families. These opportunities tend to come at life
transitions, such as the birth of a baby or the death of a loved
one. To walk with other people in these moments is a
precious gift, and not something I ever take for granted. It is
common to hear physicians—especially residents—say, ‘I've
forgotten why I went into medicine in the first place.’ Too
often the job is tied to checklists and documentation rather
than true human connection. Being present with patients as
they experience life's transitions is deeply gratifying for me,
never more so than when they are confronting terminal
illness.”