January 30, 2021

Merryn Jolkovsky, MD, Medical director, Palliative Care

There were two reasons I went to medical school – I was really interested in science and I wanted to help people. I went into nephrology because dialysis could extend people’s lives and I saw it as a way to help people. But, I noticed not all my patients were happy. Some didn’t have a good quality of life. So I started thinking about Palliative Care, which was new at the time. I received training, became certified, and thought I would use these skills with my nephrology patients. But there was such a need in the hospital that we created the Palliative Care program in 2010.

By the time I shifted to Palliative Care, my parents had already passed away. My mother was diagnosed with cancer, and it spread throughout her lungs. I went with her to her oncology appointment in Arizona. They recommended chemotherapy and radiation in hopes it would help her symptoms. There was no palliative care. I knew her time was short, and I didn’t know how to talk with her about it. I thought, “I’m a doctor for God’s sake, and I don’t know how to do this.” I felt like I couldn’t help her. I’ve always regretted I didn’t have a better handle on that when she went through it. That’s why today, if I can help someone get through a similar situation–so they don’t have that same feeling–then I’m making a difference.